T h u n d e r s t o r m
by LittleTiger488
Summary: Ash's unobservant nature strikes again. Adjusting to the change is even harder with her being pregnant and after his father finds out she's harboring a genetic goldmine. If she wasn't safe from TeamRocket before... Pokeshipping/AU
1. Prologue: Cold Front Meets Warm Front

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon or any ideas pertaining to the game, TV series, or manga. I'm not writing for profit, merely for fun.

**A/N:** First off, I am well aware I'm not the first to write out this idea. But I've always been interested in it and despite there being many fanfics out there that try to tell this story, I've come across none that I really like or that I feel really did a good job. That being said, I simply wanted to try it out for myself, see what I could bring to the table so to speak. So PLEASE don't hound me with accusations of being unoriginal, I'm aware of that. If that upsets you, I'm sorry, but don't worry, there are many other stories out there for you to read. This is fanfiction, free reign to write whatever you want with the challenge of keeping characters true to their original design and personality. There is nothing to say you can't write out ideas with your own spin on it.

So for anyone reading, I hope you enjoy.

**Ages:  
**

Ash: 15

Misty: 17

Brock: 20

* * *

**"Thunderstorm"**  
A Pokémon Fic by LittleTiger488

_Prologue_

She glanced back in the direction of the campsite, the glow of the small fire just visible beyond the brush. She hesitated, knowing very well she shouldn't leave. Her loyalty tugged at her conscience. He'd worry and she didn't like seeing him upset with her. But the potential of getting in trouble was minimal. He rarely yelled and he never stayed mad for very long. It wasn't in his nature. Especially not with her.

Still... she should just go back, curl up next to him in the sleeping bag and spend the evening basking in the comforting body heat he shared with her every night. It was where he thought she was right now. Why ruin his trust like this? How he thought of her meant everything to her.

But what could it hurt? It wasn't like she was leaving and she wandered off every now and then anyway. She'd be back. But what if he woke up and she wasn't there? What would he think?

Just as she was about to take a step back in the direction of her traveling mates, she heard movement behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she couldn't help but feel guilty at the look he was giving her. Head tilted in confusion, he made a move to follow, but she shook her head. The last thing she needed was him being seen by them. She winced slightly at his disappointed expression. She hadn't meant to make it look like she was leading him on.

Far from it actually. Ever since she had caught a small glance of him following them a few days ago... it was tempting to say the least.

And it wasn't like it was such a bad thing. They hadn't noticed the first time she had wandered off, and it was just for a minute. He had thought she had gone to forage; a decent alibi. But no, the stranger behind the bushes had beckoned to her and she found that she was just too curious to pass up a short meet and greet. That's all she assumed it would be even though his intentions were very clear from the beginning.

She expected nothing less really, she'd just never been approached with the offer. Full of confidence in himself and the fact that he had no other competition around for miles, he'd made his advances. She of course made it clear that it wasn't going to be that easy, that he'd need to prove himself. What kind of girl did he think she was?

That only seemed to entice him more. She was playing hard to get, but didn't appear to be disinterested. If she had been, she wouldn't have split from her group. She was indeed more than just good looks. A fiery strong attitude was proof enough that he had chosen well. He once again made an advance only to get bitten.

It went on like that for a few more minutes, his persistence and her reaction of, "You'll have to do better then that." But then she had heard him call her name. She detected the worry in his voice immediately and was off in a flash without a second glance at her admirer.

Later she had been disappointed in herself. That she might have passed up an opportunity that would never arise again. Being close to him helped calm her woes, filled a void, but it wasn't the same. It would never be the same. She loved him, there was no doubt of that. but it was a different kind of love. He could never fill that role, nor did she ever want him to.

He could tell she was upset, he could always read her so well. His gentle comforting distracted her enough that she decided to just put the random encounter out of her mind. But the next night, her admirer returned, watching them from the side of the road and once again trying to get her attention. Apparently the bruises she had dealt to him hadn't been enough to deter his courting.

She had been a mix of emotions. Excitement. Worry... worry that he'd find out about this. He wouldn't like it, she was sure of that. But it wasn't like it was his choice. It was her body, she could do what she wanted.

And so she indulged her admirer in another secret rendezvous. This time he was more inclined to go at her pace, but surprisingly, she had been thrown off by that. He couldn't help but be amused. That she actually preferred the fight. She was testing him, and he approved of that method. And so he showed off.

He was strong. Stronger then her? Probably not, but still strong. She definitely approved.

But before anything further could transpire, she was once again distracted by the sounds of her friends calling for her, this time worried something had happened to her. She gave her admirer an apologetic look and took off running towards the sounds of their voices.

And now... here she was. Once again abandoning her companions for a while to answer an urge that had recently been bubbling up within her.

With a deep breath she turned to him, his quizzical expression lightening as he watched her walk back to him. Pleased with her decision and with his own wooing skills, he led her deeper into the brush. Where they could be alone.

The night air was cool and crisp and she loved how it felt against the warmth rising up in her face, a steady blush filling her features. The ache she felt was nearly unbearable as she followed him, examining him from every angle as if to make sure he was suitable, one last time. There was really no contest, he would be more than adequate for her needs and a good specimen worthy of her.

He nudged himself under a thicket, a perfect place for the two of them. She nodded at his choice of location and crawled under after him.

From there it was another game of back and forth. He'd circle her. She'd nip at him in warning. Eventually though she allowed him to get closer, enjoying the sensation of his tongue running across the back of her neck and behind her ears. She couldn't help but admire his persistence. Unlike her, this obviously wasn't his first time.

But she didn't care too much. She had proven that she was no easy catch and her pride wasn't damaged in the exchange. She purred as he nibbled at the base of her neck, the two of them so close together. She liked the way their colors contrasted from one another, her lights and his darks. It relaxed her enough to finally grant him power over her. Being dominant in nature, it was an odd feeling, but she ignored it, tensing her body and digging her nails into the soft earth as he had his way with her.

It was short, but satisfying. Her breath was heavy and rapid as she waited for feeling to come back to her limbs. It was taking her longer to regain her composure than to complete the actual act itself. The smell of musk was so thick, she'd need to leave their location soon just to get a good breath of air.

At the moment her mate was attempting to get her attention back on him, but she wanted none of his gentle nudges and licks, suddenly annoyed at his presence. A quick nip put him in his place and he backed off. Taking the hint that his job was done and he was no longer wanted, he simply regarded her with a pleased grin and squeezed out of the thicket.

After hearing him scamper off and happy to be alone with her thoughts, she allowed herself a few long moments to just bask in the aftermath. It had been worth it for the fact that the nagging urge within her was now quelled and she could go back to focusing on her career instead of annoying hormones.

Eventually pulling herself to her feet, a little shaky at first, she shook out her body and exited the thicket back into the night air. She'd be back at camp and beside him in his sleeping bag soon enough and no one would be the wiser.

***

Ash parted the bushes at the edge of their campsite, a worried look adorned his features. He bit his lip as he scanned the wooded area that surrounded them. Seeing nothing but nature in the immediate area he stepped into the tree line.

Waking up from an unsettling feeling that something was a miss, Ash found that indeed _someone_ was missing. Frantically pulling on his sneakers, the dark haired teenager was wide awake now.

He was hoping he was just overreacting, but there was always that chance that something was very wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

Weaving his way through the trees, Ash called out his best friend's name as he searched, desperately waiting for a response. Disturbing a bush to his left, he jumped back in surprise as a blur of brown darted out in front of him.

Craning his neck, Ash caught sight of a rather large raichu scurry off into the night, long tail whipping around behind it. Distracted for a moment, Ash raised a curious eyebrow as he watched the wild Pokémon disappear into the foliage. He was brought out of his stare though when he heard a voice behind him.

"PikaPi!"

Whirling around at the sound of his name, Ash smiled in relief. Pikachu bounded lightly towards him, hopping up onto his knee as he bent down to his Pokémon. Wrapping his arms gently around the creature, he held it to his chest.

"There you are, buddy. Had me scared there for a minute," he spoke gently, standing up and propping Pikachu against his shoulder as the Pokémon purred and nuzzled against his neck. "What'd I say about running off like that, huh?"

Pikachu responded with a mournful, "kaaa-chu," attempting to butter it's trainer up a bit, licking his cheek as it kneaded it's claws comfortingly into his black t-shirt. Ash smiled, running his hand down it's ears and back.

"No worries, just glad you're alright," he laughed as his Pokémon rubbed it's red furred cheek against his own, tiny sparks tickling his skin. So used to the electric flow, he never minded that Pikachu treated him as it would another one of it's kind with little spark filled greetings. Scratching his yellow Pokémon under it's chin, just where he knew it liked it and happy the creature was safe, Ash started back towards the camp. "Atta boy..." he cooed softly as Pikachu settled into his arms.

Pikachu nestled just under Ash's chin, closing it's eyes with a content smile on it's features.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**A/N:** Hopefully I'm off to a decent start, if not, well there's always next chapter. I'm sure all you smart people have figured out who's who, not like I made it mind numbling difficult. Feel free to leave a review telling me what you liked/disliked. My apologies to anyone who thinks this is going to be an Ash/Pikachu fic, because it's definitely not going to go there. *shudder* I actually prefer Pikachu as a boy. I just wanted to see if I was capable of writing this. All I need is confirmation that _one_ person is reading this thing and I'll continue ;3


	2. Cumulus

**A/N: **Thank you very much to my reviewers who were kind enough to leave me encouraging notes X3

As a note for this chapter, I'd like to point out the inconsistency of the series. As a lot of you know, Brock's first episode clearly stated his father left, then his mother passed away shortly after. Then in Pokémon Chronicles, the episode "The Family that Battles Together, Stays Together" had Lola return. Now of course that was all due to a translation error on the American dub, but for the sake of not being confusing, in my story, Lola never existed. I'm going with the "she passed away" plot. Not that I didn't like the PC episode (I thought it was incredibly amusing), I just didn't feel like writing in that direction. Hope that clears things up ^^

Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 1: What comes Naturally_

Early morning found the three travelers as it normally did. They were creatures of habit, systematically finding their way through their daily activities as if their brains were on auto pilot. Brock was content to loom over the heated wok, stirring oatmeal and adding cinnamon and apple slices as he saw fit.

Misty was tending to the Pokémon, dishing out breakfast and hand feeding her azurill that trilled loudly to get her attention whenever she looked away from it.

And then there was Ash... still sleeping. He was sprawled out on his back, his arms tucked under his pillow, one leg in his sleeping bag the other out on the grass.

Misty narrowed her eyes over at her lazy boyfriend, contemplating throwing one of her sneakers at the boy, but rethought that approach. She might hit Pikachu and she would rather not start the day off with electro-shock therapy.

The mouse Pokémon was curled up on its trainer's chest, face hidden behind its zig-zag tail. Misty smirked at the sight; Ash snoring lightly and Pikachu rising and falling with each of his deep breaths. Brock looked up at her quizzically and she gestured to the sleeping pair. The oldest of the three just smirked and shook his head.

Despite all the things that had changed over the last five years, some things would always stay the same. Not that anyone minded. Their was comfort in the familiar and having something you could count on made things easier to deal with.

And most of the drastic changes had happened in the last year. Ash getting closer and closer to his goal of master. Misty's sisters finally returning to the gym so she could once again travel. She had been delighted at the prospect, but dreaded traveling alone, not after having spent so much time in the company of really good friends during her first adventure away from home.

Looking back now, she laughed at herself for being so silly. Assuming he would want nothing to do with her, that he had found new companions to travel with. That their friendship had withered and died because of the long distance. But that hadn't been the case at all. In fact he had been the one to call her.

She'd made fun of him of course, for keeping tabs on her. That he somehow was able to find out Daisy, Violet, and Lilly were back and she was free from her duty as gym leader for the time being. That his first question was when he could stop by Cerulean City and pick her up.

Truth be told, he had liked all his new travel mates fine, but they all had one major flaw.

They weren't Misty.

It was hard to keep their feelings from each other after that. Absence did make the heart grow fonder and apparently bolder. Misty had been pleased to find that the dense teenager she had parted from a year and a half earlier had definitely grown up and matured some.

Ash's snoring suddenly broke her concentration from her pleasant trip down memory lane and she glared in his direction.

Well... matured as much as teenage boys could.

But things had just gotten progressively better after that. Finally getting into a comfortable relationship. They were still Ash and Misty, constantly bickering and teasing one another. But now they were more, something the two had always thought they could be, but were afraid to try. Some change though, was very welcome.

Even Brock couldn't pass up a chance to get the original trio back together. He was always willing to take time away from the last place he had settled in for awhile. Brock had a tendency to get restless if he stayed in one place for very long. Not to mention his constant preaching that travel helped hone his skills as a breeder, giving him opportunities to learn techniques from different regions with different Pokémon.

Things felt normal for Misty when she was around the two boys. They enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed theirs. And now, back on the road again, working on her training skills, finding new adventures and learning new things, finally no more stress over the up keep of the gym. No more battling snotty, stuck up newbie trainers that were sure to not make it their first month out in the wilderness before crawling back to their mothers. No more having to impress the citizens of Cerulean with fake smiles and feigned interest as to not make the gym look bad with an attitude that reflected her mood. She had been tricked; conned into the position. Why shouldn't she feel vindicated? Her sisters weren't asking her to do this because they were confident in her skills. They hadn't given her a choice.

She was bitter towards them for a long while after that, and if it was anything that Misty was good at it was holding grudges. But her sisters, more shallow than the plastic baby pool she finally trained Psyduck how to swim in, were and always would be her sisters. Forgiveness happened, but that didn't mean they were off the hook. Misty wasn't above milking the situation for all it was worth. She wouldn't hold back using it as leverage if she ever needed anything from her family. But no longer would she be the doormat of a younger sister she had been. She would finally put her foot down. Make her older sisters respect her wishes and get them to realize she had a life of her own and they couldn't expect her to just drop everything because they backed themselves into a corner.

They were welcome to be the spoiled, stuck up, performers they had become accustomed to being, but they weren't going to be able to drag her down because they couldn't be responsible.

But now the year of constant stress the gym and her sisters had given her was behind her. Things were normal again. As normal as their lives were before it, but still. Misty had no complaints. She'd take the rush and spontaneity that came with traveling over the boring life of a gym leader any day.

Ash suddenly announced his transition into the waking world with a loud yawn and Misty pushed back her thoughts to look over at him. Reaching his arms out from under his pillow, the trainer gingerly smacked his lips a few times, trying to rid the morning taste from his mouth. Another yawn had Ash wrapping his arms around Pikachu, stirring the creature from its slumber. At first the Pokémon had been content with the action. Until Ash rolled over onto his side, nuzzling his face into its fur and hugging a little too tight for the small rodent's comfort level.

Usually affectionate with its human companions, Pikachu did have its limits. No one could really blame the Pokémon though; being so little in comparison, a firm hug to humans could be a tad more threatening to a smaller body. At the moment though, Ash's blurry mind wasn't aware that his battle partner was not who he thought it was.

"Morning babe," Ash slurred. Pikachu's ears perked and it turned a raised eyebrow at its trainer.

Misty, watching the entire exchange, was doing her best to hold back her laughter. An amused fist to her mouth, she bit her lip in anticipation.

"So soft…" the trainer murmured, rubbing his cheek into the electric yellow fur. "You start using that new lotion?"

Not liking where this was going at all, Pikachu attempted to squeeze its way out of Ash's embrace. Ash merely grinned in response and pulled the Pokémon back towards him. "Nu uh, Misty, not without a good morning kiss."

Bringing the annoyed creature back towards his face, Ash's brow furrowed when the tip of his nose touched a much smaller, slightly moist nose.

"Pika…"

Ash's eyes shot open, staring right into the large brown ones of his glaring Pokémon.

"Gah!" The teenager shot up into a surprised sit, instantly releasing the electric mouse. Pikachu responded by shaking out its fur, long ears flopping against the side of its head.

Misty and Brock had wasted no time in indulging themselves in side-splitting laughter. Ash rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. He narrowed his eyes as he fought off the blush rising to his face. "Har har…"

Misty, recovering from her laughing fit, sauntered over to come sit down at the edge of his sleeping bag. Leaning over, she placed a quick peck on his cheek despite his annoyed look. She smirked at him. "Sorry Ash, haven't started using Ode' de Pikachu yet…"

Though still irritated at the situation, Ash smirked, deciding yeah… it had been pretty funny. He moved over to the redhead, returning a kiss against her temple before laughing good naturedly. He placed his large hand on his Pokémon's head, ruffling Pikachu's ears a bit. "Not that you aren't a lovely face to wake up to, pal."

Pikachu arched its back, following the motion of Ash's hand running down the length of its body. With another cleansing shake, the Pokémon retreated to the end of the sleeping bag to curl back up into a little ball of yellow fur.

Misty tilted her head, smiling at the creature. "Time to get up, Pikachu." The Pokémon ignored her, burying its face deeper under its tail.

"Aww let him sleep a little more," Ash commented, pulling himself out of his sleeping bag. "He's probably still tired after gallivanting around the forest last night."

Brock gave his friend a curious look as Ash approached the large stones serving as seats around the campfire. "Gallivanting?"

Ash stretched, gratefully accepting the bowl of oatmeal being offered to him. "Woke up in the middle of the night to find he went on a little romp. No big deal, you know him. He gets those urges sometimes."

"Probably wanted a midnight snack. There's a berry grove not too far," Misty gestured off to the West as she joined them around the fire. She cupped her hands around her tea mug, blowing gently at the warm beverage.

Ash nodded in agreement as he spooned the oatmeal into his mouth, glancing back at his partner. Pikachu had abandoned the end of the sleeping bag in favor of the warmer fleece lining, curling up under the flap of material. Returning his attention to his meal, Ash nodded in thought. They'd wait a little bit to clean up camp and move on. At least give his Pokémon a little more time for a nap.

But forty-five minutes passed and still the electric mouse refused to relinquish its position. Eventually though Brock managed to con it out from its makeshift nest in Ash's sleeping arrangements, offering it some homemade poke-chow. The group packed up and moved onward.

Linking his arm around Misty's waist as they walked, Ash used his other hand to flip his cap around, brim towards the back. Such a beautiful sunny day, he wanted to enjoy the warmth of the rays on his face.

Misty smiled at Ash's content expression, brimming with that pride that he always had whenever they traveled through Kanto. They had been away from the region for a little over two months now and all three agreed early on that making more frequent visits back to their home peninsulas was a responsible choice. If constant traveling had taught them anything it was to always appreciate coming home every once in awhile.

They had a general idea of where they were going at all times, but were never above spur-of-the-moment detours every once in awhile. Being just outside the Indigo Plateau, Pewter would be their first stop. They'd move on to Pallet and then take a fairy to Cerulean. After that they'd just continue up the coast and wing it from there.

Traveling in Kanto was a breath of fresh air; familiar faces, favorite shops and restaurants. Already the prospect of it all had the three chatting about what they would do while they were home.

***

"What else?"

"Hmmm… your eyes."

"Uh huh, what about my eyes?"

"They're blue."

"Ash."

Misty tilted her head off his chest to look up at him, but Ash's eyes were closed. His head was tilted over the back of the couch and he was smirking, probably from Misty's annoyance. All this time and he still couldn't resist teasing her.

By nightfall the next day the three found themselves in Pewter City spending the night at Brock's house. The oldest member of their group was currently in the kitchen, catching up with Flint and listening to his siblings play loudly in the back room. Six of them were still too young to start Pokémon journeys of their own. But while his brother Coal had left home to train a year ago, his sister Ruby, who had just turned ten, hadn't been interested in training. Instead she decided to stay home and help run the gym with her older brother Forrest.

Ash and Misty decided to leave Brock alone with his father for awhile, give them time to talk. Their relationship was still as rocky as the gym the family owned, but they were trying at least. Not that one could blame Brock for his disdain against his father. Flint had really let his family down and Brock's childhood suffered because of it. The only reason the young breeder was attempting to start a relationship up with his parent was simply because Flint had manned up and come back home. And since Brock had left home on his journeys, his father hadn't done a bad job of raising his siblings. Better late then never, he supposed.

So the couple had opted for relaxing in the living room, lounging on the couch in each others arms. Currently, Misty was attempting to school her boyfriend in the fine art of romantic conversation, but Ash's attention span could rival Pikachu's quick attack. But instead of attributing Ash's lack of inner Romeo to his personality, she blamed it on the fact that they were still getting used to seeing each other in this new light.

They'd only been seriously dating for about two months. In retrospect though, the transition from long time friends to being a couple was actually quite smooth. Misty settled her head back against Ash's chest, his wrist draped over the dip between her shoulder and neck. His fingers idly played with the strands of her hair falling out of her high ponytail.

He chuckled a bit. "Fine, they're like aquamarine. Better?"

Misty closed her own eyes and smirked. "How poetic."

Ash opened an eye at the pitter-patter of little paws against the wooden floor. He caught a quick glance of Pikachu as it darted from the back room and, after a few tries, managed to wedge itself under the couch. Shortly after the yellow lightning bolt tail dissapeared under the couch, three of Brock's younger sisters came into the room in search of the little Pokémon. One of the girls had a few colorful ribbons clutched in her hands. Ash smiled at them as they came up beside the couch, Misty already standing up.

"Did-"

"What pretty ribbons, Suzy! How about I put them in your hair hmm?" Misty interrupted the youngest of the three girls, leading a successfully distracted six-year-old into the other room. The other young sister was eager to follow the two of them, wanting her hair in braids as well, but the oldest of the three just watched them walk down the hall before turning back to Ash.

"She's good."

Ash laughed as the spiky haired ten-year-old, Ruby, leaned on the arm rest. "Yeah, Misty has super powers. Or something like that." He leaned over a bit, head between his knees, and pulled up the skirt on the bottom of the couch. "C'mon out Pikachu."

The little electric mouse poked its nose out first. Seeing Ash, it ventured out from its shelter and leapt up onto its trainer's lap. "Poor guy, they trying to dress you up?" Ash cooed, scratching under his Pokémon's chin. Pikachu purred and moved its head to the side so Ash would pet behind it's ears as well. Ruby reached a hand over to pet the top of Pikachu's head.

"Suzy tries to do that to all our Pokémon. Even our Onyx."

"Is it a girl thing?" Ash asked her with a smirk. "Misty's tried to buy him little bows and stuff before too."

Ruby seemed to take offense to the general statement towards her gender and punched Ash in the shoulder, eliciting a laugh from the teenage boy. Pikachu, over stimulated by the petting, crawled over Ash's knee and over to the corner of the couch. It tilted its head slightly, examining the cushioned corner.

Calming his laughter and ceasing his mild teasing of the ten-year-old girl, Ash glanced at his Pokémon.

"What is he doing?" Ruby asked, leaning on the arm rest of the couch and watching Pikachu attempt to burrow its way under the cushions. Ash scowled slightly, afraid his Pokémon's rapid digging motions would rip a hole in the couch lining.

"Pikachu cut that out," Ash scolded, plucking the rodent away from its activity. "There's nothing under there but loose change and food crumbs, buddy."

Pikachu shook its head, ears flapping a bit before it brought its back foot forward to scratch behind its ear. Then once again attempted to leave Ash's lap and burrow into the corner. Ruby giggled as Ash pulled him back again, assuming the Pokémon was just playing with his owner. Ash smirked in amusement, turning Pikachu over in his lap to rub its belly. "What's your problem huh? You're probably restless."

Pikachu purred from the belly rub, play fighting with Ash's hand as he did so.

"Restless?" Ruby asked.

Ash nodded as he watched his Pokémon bat at his hand, lightly mouthing at his fingers and licking his knuckles. "We've haven't battled in a week. He's probably just bored. I'll see if we can find a few challengers in Viridian."

***

"PIKACHU!"

Hearing her trainer's rather upset tone, she quick darted behind Misty, clinging to one of the girl's ankles. If it was anyone who would protect her from an angry Ash, it was his mate. She cautiously poked her head out from behind the redhead's legs. As expected, her trainer was glaring at her, backpack straps clutched in his left hand. She lowered her own ashamed gaze, her long ears bent flat against the back of her head.

Misty was trying to control her increasing giggle fit, right hand held daintily over her smirk. "Ash…"

"He put sticks and leaves in my backpack!"

That only made Misty burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Brock snorted as he tried to swallow his own amusement. Ash turned his glare away from his laughing friends, muttering obscenities as he emptied the nature out of his backpack and into a bush.

She whined slightly to herself, confused why her travel mates were laughing while her trainer looked so angry. The conflict made her uncomfortable.

She was sorry, she hadn't meant to make him upset. She had initially thought that he might even be happy she even considered his backpack. After all it was kind of an honor. It was familiar and comfortable and she couldn't even recall all the times she had opted to riding inside of it instead of walking. And most importantly, it smelled like him. A trait that always relaxed and comforted her.

Misty leaned down, her laughter subsiding as she scooped the small Pokémon up into her arms. "Chill out Ash, it's not that big of a deal."

"You're not the one that has to clean out their pack!"

Sighing, Ash put everything back into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. She buried her face into the crook of Misty's arm when she saw her trainer heading towards them. But despite how upset he was, Ash just slipped his hands under her arms and held her up towards his face. His anger had simply melted into disappointment and that made her ears droop.

"Chu…" she mewled pathetically.

Ash gave her a half smile. "Why'd you do that, huh?" He laughed as she leaned forward, licking the tip of his nose in a small gesture of apology. Hearing his laugh she squirmed in his grip to jump onto his shoulder and rub her cheek against his. "You're so weird," Ash smirked, scratching under her chin.

"Now why do you say that?" Brock asked, coming up beside Ash.

Ash raised an eyebrow at his older friend as he listened to his Pokémon purr in his ear. Brock grinned at him as they started away from their cleaned up campsite. "Maybe he's just doing what comes natural."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Putting a bunch of junk in my backpack is natural?"

"Just because we don't always understand what they do or think its weird or inconvenient to us, doesn't mean it isn't significant to the Pokémon. You think it's annoying, but to Pikachu it's completely normal."

Ash scoffed. "He's never done it before."

"So? Pokémon change and go through stages just like humans."

"Get to the point, Brock."

Brock grinned. "It's called 'nesting' Ash."

Both Ash and Misty turned to look at him, expecting him to elaborate. But the breeder just continued to look forward into the sunset, not saying a word.

_To be continued..._


	3. Thermal

_Chapter 2: News to Me_

---

"Uh… a little privacy please, buddy?"

"Ash…"

"What?! It's weird when he just sits there and watches!"

"He has no idea what we're doing…"

"How do you know that?"

Misty rolled her eyes, reaching up to run her hand through Ash's jet black hair, knocking his cap off in the process. Silencing his complaints with her lips against his, Misty tried to get her boyfriend's attention back to where it should be.

On her.

But as Ash's hands snaked around her waist, finger tips just poking their way under the hem of her tank top, she could understand his distraction. Then again she never really noticed nor cared about the small electric mouse sitting a few feet away. Ash's Pikachu was like an extension of the boy, there really was no escaping it. Rarely was it more than a few yards from its trainer.

So it wasn't surprising that while she and Ash indulged themselves in a game of tonsil hockey, the Pokémon was nearby, curled up on a rock and resting it's chin on its paws. Large brown eyes watched the two humans sitting under the large oak, following their movements and every once in awhile tilting its head to the side.

Misty supposed it was kind of weird. It was just… staring. But after a few minutes Pikachu seemed bored with their activity and instead turned its attention to a grooming session. Continuously running its little pink tongue through its bright fur seemed more entertaining than whatever its trainer was doing with the redhead anyway.

Misty almost laughed mid kiss. Ash was silly to be embarrassed. Though incredibly smart, sometimes challenging its trainer's IQ, Pikachu was still a Pokémon. Like it had any idea what 'making-out' meant.

***

She wondered if it hurt. Then again, they wouldn't do it so much if it hurt. But what was the appeal in an activity that looked as if one was eating the other's face? It couldn't possibly be mating; they weren't doing it right at all.

Humans were weird creatures.

But despite the oddities of the act, her trainer seemed to enjoy it. And she supposed that was all that really mattered. Still the mechanics were puzzling.

At least he wasn't mad anymore. Or she hoped he wasn't. Over the last week she seemed to constantly and unintentionally upset him somehow.

The backpack incident had been one thing, but the battle against that sandshrew had been mismatched from the start. Right off the bat she knew it would be an easy win for her, but she was modest of course, offering her opponent a good natured smile and wished him luck. Like she always did.

Course then the guy had to go and be a jerk. That comment about her weight had been uncalled for. She always considered herself a fair fighter, but she also wouldn't tolerate smack talk. Her pride was at stake and she'd be damned if her opponent was going to get away with that insult.

Ash had yelled at her for putting the creature in critical condition, using thunder wave instead of a thunderbolt like he had instructed. She had hoped he wouldn't notice the increase of voltage, but he knew her attacks too well. He had caught the difference immediately.

And so had the other trainer. A shouting match between the two had taken place and she had felt bad for getting her partner in trouble, knowing very well it was her fault. Crouching down submissively at her trainer's feet, she waited till their opponents left in the direction of the nearest Pokémon Center.

She'd been close to tears, the guilt was so heavy, and that made her more upset with herself. She was stronger than that, and the sandshrew had asked for it. And really, Ash had only been angry for a minute and things had been fine, but her current emotional state had put the whole situation in a different light.

Right now though, she felt as if she was in a funk. She really wanted out of the Viridian Forest. She knew they were on their way to Pallet, she could understand that much from her companions and the area was familiar. The comfort of Ash's home, the calming smells and tasty treats of his mother's garden, seeing all of her friends at the professor's lab; all of those thoughts really excited her. She just wanted to be there already. The forest was giving her a claustrophobic sensation.

Which was odd given the fact that it was her natural habitat. Course living with humans for her entire life, nothing was really natural to her. Especially this feeling nagging at her insides. She wasn't stupid, she knew what was happening, but never had she imagined it would cause so much unwanted stress. Why on earth would every species on the planet be driven to this sort of thing just to have to deal with all this… drama?

She lifted her head, halting the meticulous grooming of her forepaw. Her ears rose as she watched Ash and Misty stand up from their spot under the tree. Getting to her own feet, she leapt off the rock and scampered over to Ash, bounding up the back of his leg and clawing her way up his shirt to perch on his shoulder. She felt better when he reached up to run his hand through her ears and responded with a content "chaaa!"

Walking back to the campsite they found Brock lying down on top of his sleeping bag and reading a novel. He barely glanced at the couple before returning his gaze back towards the text.

The sight of the breeder reminded her that she was hungry and in a bad way. She had eaten dinner with the rest of her companions, and yet a few hours later she still found herself craving more. It was to be expected of course, but she wasn't used to being so hungry. Perhaps it was just the sight of Brock. It wasn't an uncommon feeling. Brock meant food. Plain and simple.

Propelling herself down the front of Ash's shirt, using his abdomen as a launching pad, she leapt to the ground. Working up her most charming of looks, she trotted over to man. Being a regular fighter meant she was on a strict diet and wasn't supposed to snack so late, but perhaps a big brown eyed look would get him to change his mind.

Brock merely regarded her with a behind the ear scratch as she rubbed her cheek against his wrist. Purring loudly, but still trying to get across what she wanted from him, she pawed at his hand, upsetting the balance of his book. "Pika-chuuu!"

Brock raised an eyebrow at her then looked at his watch. Shaking his head he looked back to his book and her ears drooped. Determined though, she crawled up onto his chest, blocking the view of his reading material and rubbing her cheek against his. "Pikaaaa."

"Alright, alright," Brock chuckled, understanding but deep into the story he was reading. He gently shooed her out of the way of his book. "Just give me one minute."

One whole minute? She couldn't wait that long. Her stomach was nagging her and in-turn making her nag the breeder. She tugged at his sleeve, muttering incessant "Pi, pi, pi" into his ear until he relented.

Ash frowned at her behavior. "Pikachu, leave Brock alone." He shook his head at her as she tried to bury her way into Brock's jacket, hoping perhaps he kept the food in his pocket. She ignored her trainer though, the hunger vastly more important than his petty demand of virtue.

Ash folded his arms. "What's gotten into him? He won't listen to me at all."

Brock just laughed and set down his book. "It's no big deal Ash, he's just hungry."

"He can't be hungry, we just ate!"

"There's the pot calling the kettle black. You're the same way when you're hungry," Misty rolled her eyes. "He probably learned it from you."

"I am not!"

"Oh you so are…"

"Brock! Tell her I'm not like that!"

"But you are," Brock stated as he opened up the little container of his home made chow. Her nose was inside the container before he could even get the lid completely off.

Feeling the odds against him, Ash narrowed his eyes in a pout. "Hey when did this become about me?"

"What was it about before?" Misty asked, sitting down on her sleeping bag and checking on her sleeping Azurill.

"Pikachu! He's acting weird and not listening to me. Maybe I should bring him to Nurse Joy…"

"I don't listen to you; can you bring _me_ to Nurse Joy?" Brock grinned as he stroked the Pokémon's back. She had tipped over the container and was making quick work of whatever had fallen out.

"You're overreacting."

"I am not, Misty." Ash walked over to his companion, crouching down next to the Pokémon. "C'mon pal, you'd tell me if something was wrong right?" He gently leaned down to pluck her off the ground away from her meal.

This of course did not sit well with the hungry mouse and she wasn't against showing her displeasure. A few sparks danced across the fur on her cheeks and she squirmed away from his grip to return to her feast.

"Ash, maybe you should-"

"Pikachu, that's enough. You've already had dinner tonight." But as he reached for her a second time, she was through giving warnings. Whirling around in a lightning fast motion, she nipped at his hand, catching his glove in her teeth and just nicking the skin underneath.

Ash quickly yanked his hand away, shocked the creature had attempted to bite him. He lifted back the edge of the glove. She hadn't broken the skin, but probably would have if he hadn't reacted fast. He sent a scathing look at his Pokémon.

She ignored his look though and returned to her food. She had, after all, given him warning. But a part of her did feel guilty. She hesitated in her next bite. Perhaps that had been harsh. She shrugged it off though and gobbled down another two mouthfuls. It wasn't her fault. She was eating and he was being annoying.

Ash frowned and looked to Brock and then Misty. His girlfriend just shrugged with a sympathetic look. He sighed and looked back down to his battle partner, who was now completely ignoring him in favor of the meal.

True, he had probably asked for that, but never before had his Pokémon acted out in such a manner. Usually his Pikachu was the most well-mannered of the entire group, even going as far as being the mediator at times.

"We'll be in Pallet in the morning. I'll take him before we go see Mom."

***

Ash leaned back against the window frame, sitting Indian style on the bay window seat and watching the cumulus clouds slowly drift through the early afternoon sky. His hand slowly ran through Pikachu's fur, the Pokémon contently napping in the cradle of his lap.

They had arrived at the Pallet Pokémon Center at around ten that morning, but Nurse Joy was a little backed up with other patients. Brock decided it would be a good time to go stock up on supplies. They needed a few more antidotes and repellents. Misty volunteered to go shopping for them while Brock hit the market for food stuffs.

Ash decided to sit and wait. Nurse Joy said she wouldn't be too long and he was anxious to get his Pokémon looked at. Especially his Pikachu.

He glanced down at the creature as it nuzzled against his knee, purring rhythmically as Ash stroked its back.

"You don't seem sick," he muttered, mostly to himself. But its ears perked at the sound of his voice and it opened its eyes to look up at him.

"PikaPi," it purred, rolling over onto its back to allow him to rub the billowy soft fur of its stomach. It nestled back into the crook its trainer's leg made, comfortably situated and ready to go back to napping in the warm sun shining through the window. But if its trainer wanted to talk, it'd listen.

Ash smirked and gently rubbed the Pokémon's abdomen. "Yeah, there's nothing wrong with you…" He felt more reassured saying the words out loud, like that made them true. Perhaps his little friend was just in a weird mood. Maybe a thorough check up and a well deserved recharge is just what the little guy needed.

Yeah that made sense. He'd get Pikachu checked out, take him home and let him have a nice long rest. They had been traveling nonstop and this trip back to Kanto was the first real vacation they had in awhile. It could be that simple; Pikachu was just burnt out.

"Ash?"

Both he and Pikachu looked up at the red haired nurse as she walked over, smiling brightly as always. "I apologize for the wait. Physical therapy for a wartortle can be a very time consuming activity. Thank you for being so patient though."

Ash smiled, rising to his feet as Pikachu crawled up onto his shoulder. "No problem at all Nurse Joy."

"Now," she said, taking a cleansing breath. "What can I do for you today?"

"Wanted to get everyone looked at before we got home," Ash shrugged, following Joy to the front counter.

"Just normal recharges then?" Joy smiled at him, setting a trey out for his pokeballs.

"Well," Ash smirked and reached up to ruffle the electric mouse's ears. "Pikachu's been a little terror lately. He's probably due for a full examination."

Joy smiled politely as Ash placed his pokeballs on the trey and Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and onto the counter. She picked up the trey, "No problem at all. Right this way."

Ash followed Joy, Pikachu following on the counter before hoping down and chasing after its trainer's heels. They stopped to drop off Ash's five pokeballs in a separate chamber before Joy led them into an examination room.

Familiar with checkups and trusting the many Joy's of the medical world, Pikachu took a running leap up onto the stainless steel table. Ash came up beside it, placing his hands on his Pokémon's head and back as Joy washed her hands.

"Anything I should know?" she asked, coming over and leaning down to Pikachu's level. The mouse greeted her with a happy "Pikachu!"

Ash scratched the back of his neck, his previous worries resurfacing. "Well, he's been kinda moody. Won't listen to me."

"Odd," Joy said, gently examining Pikachu's eyes and ears. "You've always mentioned how well trained Pikachu is." She ran her hands down the length of the Pokémon's body, eliciting pleasant shivers from the mouse. She was familiar with the Pokémon, having seen it several times before and knowing Ash's almost famous following. And if it was anything Ash did well, it was keep his Pokémon in top condition. "Any physical signs of distress?"

Ash shook his head. "No, still strong as he's ever been. Maybe even more so. He's always getting better at his attacks. Been a little lazy in the last week or so though."

"Very toned, I don't see anything wrong with-- Hmm…" Joy pondered out loud, her hands stopping at the Pokémon's hips. She carefully outlined the pelvic bone with her finger tips.

Ash's eyes grew wide at Joy's pause. He quickly looked to Pikachu's expression, praying his little friend wasn't in pain. But no, other than turning its head to gently lick Joy's knuckles, the creature didn't appear to be in any kind of anguish.

"What's wrong? Is he hurt?" Panic rose up in the seasoned trainer, already blaming whatever was wrong with his friend on himself. It could only be his fault. Pikachu was his responsibility. "Oh man, I knew I should have called him back sooner from that battle against that luxray!"

Joy rolled her eyes as Pikachu obediently stood up on its hind legs for her. She ignored Ash's babbling as she finished examining the rodent's electrical pouches. The Pokémon purred at the nurse's soft touch, bracing its paw on her wrist. Joy smiled and touched the tip of her finger to Pikachu's tiny black nose. "You look plenty healthy to me, Sweetie. Arms up," she asked, putting her own arms up in example.

"Pika!" the Pokémon giggled, mimicking her by throwing its short forearms into the air. Joy snickered at the enthusiasm and urge to please. Running her hands down the under belly of the Pokémon, noting the two parallel rows of mammary glands under the short fur, the nurse's smirk only got wider.

"And he's just so stubborn sometimes! I tell him he's had enough and he just keeps going!"

"Uh huh," she nodded at Ash's rambling. "Just gonna take a quick little blood sample."

"Blood?! Oh I knew it! I knew there was something wrong!" Ash paced the room, hands in his hair as Joy calmly parted a patch of fur on Pikachu's shoulder.

"Just a little pinch sweetie," she warned the Pokémon as she picked up a small hand-held syringe gun. As promised, the prick barely made the creature flinch, just instinctively try to wash the spot. "Ah ah," Joy scolded softly, cleaning the area before Pikachu could lap at the injection area.

"How could I not see the signs?!" Ash continued, sickened with himself and his lack of knowledge of what his Pokémon was going through. "And I yelled at him for it! All he wanted was a late snack! I'm the worst trainer on the planet!"

Joy rolled her eyes again as she brought the small blood sample over to another counter, ejecting the cartridge and applying droplets to a lipid test.

Pikachu tilted its head at its trainer, ears folding back at Ash's rapid movements around the room. "PikaPi?" It leapt off the table to follow his pacing, weaving around his ankles and tugging at his pant leg.

Overwhelmed, Ash reached down to scoop up the Pokémon. "Pikachu I'm so sorry!" he clutched the mouse to his chest.

Concerned with its trainer's sudden change in emotion, Pikachu nuzzled under Ash's chin in an attempt to make him feel better. "Pika Pikachu," it cooed supportively, patting Ash's shoulder.

"Eating and sleeping more, you say?" Joy piped up across the room, watching the test strips change color.

Ash simply nodded, watching the nurse nervously and clutching his Pokémon. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to his best friend and it was his fault.

Finally getting the results she was waiting for and doing some quick math in her head, Nurse Joy smiled and set the paper down. Working up her best depressed look, she sighed over dramatically and turned her attention to Ash. "I'd give her five weeks…"

Ash's expression immediately fell, the shattering of his heart clearly written all over his face. "WEEKS?! Five?! B-but… isn't there anything we can do?! Surgery?! Would surgery help?" he pleaded, grasping at straws. Anything to save the little creature he had grown so attached to. "It always helps in those medical shows!"

Joy couldn't hold back her smile as she placed her hand on her forehead, shaking her head at the boy.

Ash was pacing again. Pikachu, having climbed up to his hat, was clutching the brim in an attempt to stay balanced. He stopped rapidly in his tracks, pausing and staring off into space as he thought. The sudden halt made Pikachu tumble over the brim and down into Ash's arms.

The boy stared at his Pokémon who smiled fondly up at him, happy simply because Ash was looking at it. The Pokémon certainly didn't look five weeks from death. Ash suddenly lifted his head up, eyes wide.

Joy stood up straighter and smiled, waiting to see the realization wash over the teenager.

"Wait!" Ash announced, throwing his right hand up in the air with Pikachu tucked under his left arm. "…Professor Oak!"

Joy's smile faded, raising an eyebrow.

"He can do something!" Relief drifted over Ash's expression. He held Pikachu up to his face. "He'll fix this, Buddy. I'll bring you right over to the lab and explain everything to him. What should I tell him Pikachu's suffering from?"

Joy narrowed her eyes at the trainer, leaning back against the counter and folding her arms. "Pregnancy…"

Ash's brow furrowed as he tilted his head at his Pokémon. "Pregnancy. And that's terminal? I think I've heard of-"

The Pokémon trainer stopped mid sentence, the click in his brain so epic it was practically audible.

Pikachu purred loudly, leaning closer to lick the tip of Ash's nose, completely oblivious of the wide eyed, slack jawed look her trainer currently possessed.

***

"How could you not know?!"

"Well I just assumed-"

"That's not something you _assume_, Ash! It's either one or the other. You don't get to pick!"

"Well how come YOU didn't know?!"

"It's YOUR Pokémon!"

"What about mister 'world renowned breeder' over there?!"

"Oh don't even bring me into this. Excuse _me_ for not intimately examining _your_ pikachu, Ash! It spends 90% of its time on your shoulder!"

Pikachu slumped forward in Nurse Joy's grip, her chin resting on the woman's wrist. Not completely sure what the three of them were yelling about, but knowing it had to be her fault since they were here for her, she was confused about what exactly she had done.

"How could he—SHE get pregnant?!"

"You wanna field this one Brock?"

"Well you see Ash, when two Pokémon love each other very much-"

"Oh shut up!"

Ash collapsed back into one of the plush couches of the Pokémon Center. Head in his hands, the teenager's lightly tanned face was beat red from a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.

Pikachu whined, squirming in Nurse Joy's grip before leaping onto Ash's hat, knocking it down over his eyes. Crawling down onto his shoulder, she rubbed the side of her faces against his cheek. Whatever she did to upset her trainer so much, she was sorry and wanted him to know that.

Ash sighed and pushed his hat out of his eyes, looking at his Pokémon and not being able to resist the urge to pull her into his arms. "How come you didn't tell me pal?"

Pikachu tilted her head at him. "Chu?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "Ash… you don't speak pikachu!"

Ash glared at her. He liked to think he and his Pokémon understood each other perfectly.

And yet…

His glare melted and he looked down at Pikachu. She beamed up at him in hopes that her smile was contagious. But the fact that she wasn't reacting to the situation brought Ash out of his denial.

Yes, he and she had a strong personal connection, and it was true that they understood the majority of what the other was saying or feeling. But truth be told, their speech was not the same. Some things would just always be lost in translation.

Misty sighed and sat down next to her dejected looking boyfriend. "Ash, you've been calling her 'he' since you got her. What makes you thing she knows the difference? It's not like you taught her the human words for male and female."

"In retrospect," Brock spoke up. "What does it matter?"

"It doesn't," Ash muttered. "I just… feel like I should have known."

Misty smirked at him. "Right. Ash Ketchum: the world's most clueless human being. Remind me… how long did it take you to realize I was crushing on you?"

Ash merely groaned, knowing she was right and not wanting to admit it to her, or even to himself. But especially to her.

Joy cleared her throat. "What really matters right now is Pikachu. Sire or dam, she's due for a litter of pichu in about five weeks give or take."

"Sire? Dam?" Ash looked up at the nurse.

"Male and female pikachu," Brock explained. "Pikachu – apparently - is a dam."

Ash once again turned his attention his Pokémon, a puzzled look on his face as he held her up to his eye level. "How did you get pregnant?!"

"It's actually a good question," Misty reached over to stroke Pikachu's ears. "We haven't been around other pikachu recently."

"Not that we've _seen_," Brock pointed out. "She does run off every now and then."

Ash nodded but suddenly froze. "Oh man… a week ago he-" Ash winced, catching himself. "I mean _she_…"

Misty snickered. "Gonna be doing that for awhile."

Ash tightened his look. "_She_… ran off at night. I saw a wild raichu when I went to go look for her."

"Well regardless who 'daddy' is, you're the one that's taking care of her," Joy instructed. "Let's get you schooled on proper pika-parenting."

Misty instantly got to her feet to follow Joy and Ash. "It's kind of exciting! You're gonna be a mommy, Pikachu!"

The Pokémon smiled at her from Ash's shoulder. It wasn't news to her, but apparently her human companions had just figured it out. They could be such unaware creatures at times. Couldn't they tell by scent?

Oh well. Maybe now Ash wouldn't mind a few minor _adjustments_ to his backpack.

---

_To be continued..._


	4. Convection

**A/N:** _Short chapter, my apologies X3 next one will be longer. Oh and as a heads up, I know all Pokemon lay eggs, but I'm not going that route._

_Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers!!! Such nice people you is ^^_

* * *

_Chapter 3: It Shouldn't Matter_

---

Lifting the brim of his fedora, he looked beyond his sunglasses to watch the three young people leave the Pokémon Center. Waiting a moment till the sound of the bell on the front door quieted, he shifted his eyes to the nurse typing away behind the front desk. Gingerly the man closed his lap top computer and tucked it into his briefcase.

Standing to his feet, he walked over to the counter. Giving the nurse a kind smile, he removed his sunglasses revealing copper colored eyes. Joy looked up and returned his smile with one of her own. "I'm here for the Pokémon I dropped off earlier."

Joy nodded and ceased her typing. "Of course, one moment sir."

He watched her rise and saunter off to a back room. His smile faded in an unreadable expression; his eyes never left the swinging door she disappeared behind as he casually tilted the flat computer screen on the counter in his direction.

Quickly glancing at the open document on Joy's desk top, the man smoothly slipped his cell phone from his dress coat pocket. In the blink of an eye, three quick snap shots appeared on the screen of the cell before the man flipped it closed. Moving the computer back to its original position, the man once again found his charming smile as Nurse Joy came back through the swinging door, a trey of pokeballs in her possession.

"Much appreciated," the man nodded, taking a moment to return each of the six metal orbs to their rightful positions on his belt.

"You're very welcome," Joy beamed with a slight shoulder shrug and an infectious sugary sweet smile.

The man nodded, slipping back on his sunglasses, lifting up his briefcase and then making his way towards the exit. His smile instantly faded when he turned away from the nurse, his free hand dipping into his pocket and pulling out the cell.

Flipping open to the screen, the last picture taken still open, the man set his copper toned gaze on the text before him. Thumb expertly maneuvering the controls, he enlarged the document, scrolling down to the tiny picture of the electric mouse Pokémon.

Saving the document, the man pressed down speed dial, bringing the phone up to his ear.

"... I believe I have some news that might be of interest to the boss."

***

Ash stared at the ladle stirring round and round in the thick stew. His brain was stuck on the movement of the utensil, not even being able to blink, trapped in an unknown trance and content to just stare.

His focus on the spoon was blocked by Brock's sudden addition of pepper to the food mixture. The oldest of the group smirked slightly as he watched his young friend sit back and rub his dried out eyes.

"Back from wherever you just went, Ash?"

The dark haired teenager sighed, folding his arms behind his head. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize for admiring my cooking," Brock snickered, tapping the ladle against the rim of the pot once before setting it aside.

Ash just grunted, brown eyes now looking over across the camp.

Misty sat on her sleeping bag, Pikachu situated in front of her as she ran a fine bristled brush down the length of the Pokémon's body. Pikachu purred loudly, tilting her head to the side, her ears flopping to the left as the brush softened and shined her yellow pelt. Azurill attempted to bat at the brush with its tail each and every time it came within grabbing distance of the little water type.

Brock glanced up at Ash, his unblinking stare now on the girl and the Pokémon a few yards away. He quickly looked back down to his cooking.

"You want to talk about it?"

Ash was quiet for a minute, finally tearing his eyes away and looking down at the ground instead. He brought his arms back down and rested his elbows on his knees.

"… I battled her the other day."

Brock lowered the spoon from his lips after testing the meal, looking at his friend. He spoke gently as he wiped the spoon off with a napkin.

"Ash-"

"Will that hurt the babies?" he whirled around to look at the breeder, cutting him off.

Brock smirked at him. "The sandshrew? As I recall, she was the one to walk away the victor of that one. In one move, no less."

Ash's concerned expression didn't falter. That only made Brock more amused.

"She's fine Ash," he smiled reassuringly, turning away from the stew to focus on the breaded meatballs in the wok beside it. "Heh, you know… eh nevermind."

Ash raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"It's nothing."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Tell me Brock!"

The breeder shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I just always kinda had a hunch she was a dam."

Ash's jaw hung open, staring at his friend in disbelief. His face soon tightened in anger, opening his mouth to yell, but Brock held his hand up.

"Don't start. I wasn't 100% sure. She just did things every now and then that had me doing a double take."

Ash huffed, folding his arms. "You could have said something!"

He gave a tight look to Ash. "She wasn't _my_ Pokémon. So it wasn't _my_ business."

Ash avoided his friend's eyes, chewing on his bottom lip. Brock expertly moved the food around the pan, browning each side of the meal to perfection. He shot another look at his friend.

"It doesn't change anything-"

"-It changes everything…" Ash muttered, once again cutting him off.

Brock took the wok off the heat and folded his arms. "Why?"

Ash looked up at the man's disapproving gaze and suddenly turned sheepish. Why was he looking at him like that? Who was he to judge him for feeling this way? He wasn't the one who just found out his best friend was pregnant when he hadn't even known she was a girl in the first place! Of course this changed things, how could he expect it not to?

"Brock! She's-"

"-Still Pikachu…"

It was Ash's turn to be cut off and he backed down at Brock's firm words. Turning his attention back to the preparation of white rice, Brock's tone stayed steady.

"Treating her any different now is the worst thing you could do. Think about it Ash. Nothing's different to her, why should it be to you?"

"But what if she-"

"Is she any less of who she is just because now you have to use female pronouns?" Brock scoffed.

Ash started. "Of course not!" But truth be told… in the back of his mind, Ash's response was different. And he hated himself for even thinking it.

This was the same Pokémon that had brought down legendaries.

Helped him save the planet on more than one occasion.

Saved his life more times than any one person should have to be saved.

She had proven her power, her devotion, and her capability numerous times and no one that knew the Pokémon could debate otherwise. She was Pikachu, damnit.

… so why was it suddenly so hard for him to swallow all this?

He looked back over at Misty, scooping Pikachu up into her arms for a comforting cuddle. Apparently the gym leader was more than thrilled that she wasn't the only girl in the group anymore.

Ash frowned.

Misty… his beautiful, incredible, unbelievable…

… deadly, scary, could probably break his arm with no problem, Misty.

Ash blushed. He could remember a time when he'd never allow himself to entertain such romantic thoughts about a girl. Especially a girl who could kick his ass without even trying. Especially that loud mouth, smart assed, pain in his neck, red head.

But where there was once only annoyance and frustration, there was now…

… okay, there was still annoyance and frustration, but in his hormone laced years he found there was more to her than that.

Like that thing she could do with her mouth.

He took a moment to shake the thoughts out of his head. True, she was no disappointment when it came to that department, but he was also so comfortable around her. She was fiercely loyal, dependable, and cared more about his well being then he did. Of course with the way he leapt off cliffs like they were diving boards, someone certainly had to.

He only really realized how much he truly cared about her after she left.

Which was right about the time he started noticing there was more to girls than just cooties and obnoxious perfume. He had always been slightly awkward around the opposite gender. It didn't help that now his brain was giving him a reason to interact with them.

He found himself taking second looks at any girl he passed. Even his other travel partners weren't exactly painful to glance at every now and then. But curse his picky heart…

… he sure had a thing for older women.

He found himself taking out her picture more and more. Admiring things about the red head he never had noticed before. Goodness, had he really been that oblivious to those killer shorts and midriff tank top? Eventually he couldn't go a day without taking out the photograph, getting worn and crumpled from the constant handling.

He just might have fallen in love with that picture before actually entertaining the thought of having those kinds of feelings towards the actual person.

He had marked it up in the lust category for awhile, insistent that anyone could fill her role.

But he was proven wrong time and time again. No date was fulfilling enough. No kiss electrifying enough. No girl could ever yank his ear hard enough.

He'd never be comfortable with anyone else.

And in the beginning, once they really allowed themselves to embrace the idea, it was like it had always been. Like they were exactly who they used to be. Best friends. Just with a little more tongue.

But going from one of his very best friends to girlfriend had other emotions that tagged along.

Oh sure, he had always cared about her safety. Never wanting to see her hurt or crying. But… something clicked after the relationship transition. It had gone from never wanting to see her hurt, to "will kill who ever even _thinks_ of doing harm to her". From not wanting to see her cry, to seeing tears from her was gut wrenchingly painful.

Protective. He learned hard and fast what it meant.

He'd felt awkward at the first signs of those feelings. Brock told him it was normal, that he was just getting a healthy dose of testosterone. Ash had always being an empathetic creature, throwing himself out there for the good of others simply because it was the right thing to do.

But Misty brought a whole new aspect to the feeling.

He'd give his life for the world if need be.

But if he had to chose between the world and Misty…

Ash was brought back out of his thoughts as Brock handed him some stew, the wooden bowl warm against his palms. He stared down into the meal, frowning again.

But... then again. He had always had those feelings towards his best four legged friend as well.

Pikachu was more than just his battle partner. They had been through everything together. Side by side, over coming anything that foolishly decided to challenge their friendship.

So what was different now? Where did this feeling come from that was as if his friend had always been keeping a big secret from him?

His friends had been right, it's not like she knew Ash had screwed up her gender, nor really cared otherwise. And it wasn't her fault. So why did he feel so betrayed?

Like Pikachu, Misty was beyond capable, female or not. In retrospect, both were way stronger than him anyway.

Why did her gender warp his mind like this? Was it just the male thought process? He hated how shallow it sounded, but he couldn't stop the notion in his brain. Her being female shouldn't make a difference, but it did.

And it suddenly was the same thing with his Pokémon.

Misty sat down beside him, Brock handing her stew as well. Misty smiled at Ash, winking as she downed a spoonful of the creamy mixture.

"Nuh uh, Pikachu. I got something for you over here."

Ash looked over at Brock, coaxing his Pokémon away from his backpack where the can of chow was kept. The breeder scooped a few of the meatballs from the wok, breaking up the meat and mixing it with the rice he had made. Setting the food down in front of the Pikachu, he smiled as she gave it one sniff then promptly dug in.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Brock chuckled, patting her little yellow head twice before going to make himself up a bowl.

"What's that?" Misty asked after swallowing another bite of stew.

"Wanted to get her started on a more filling diet, build up her immunity and strength. She'll be eating more in the next few weeks and will need extra nutrients for feeding and birthing."

"Awww that's a good idea!" Misty nodded. "Are you listening to Brock, Ash? He knows what he's talking about, ya know. Start taking notes."

Ash just nodded, staring at Pikachu, her nose buried deep in the home made dish, seemingly enjoying the meal very much.

He was thankful for the breeder, no doubt. If it was anyone he trusted with her care in this situation it was him. He'd make sure things were done properly.

Ash sighed inwardly.

Unlike himself.

He didn't even know her gender, how could he be trusted to take care of her while she was stuffed full of mini-chu?

He snorted at his thoughts while stirring his stew. Look at him, already he was being insensitive about the whole thing. She was weak and needed protection because she was a girl? Referring to her offspring as mini-chu?

"I'm the worst trainer ever…"

Both Misty and Brock lifted their heads at Ash's muttering. Misty glowered and elbowed him in the side.

Ash winced. "What?! Don't deny it! For the last five years I didn't know she was a girl, I battled her while she was pregnant, everything Nurse Joy said came out as blah blah blah!"

Pikachu lifted her head from her meal, tiny pink tongue running over her little fangs. She tilted her head at Ash's ranting.

"Ash, you're overreacting."

"Like you always do."

"I have a reason to! …and I don't always overreact!"

"Typical Ash, it's always about you isn't it? You do know you're not the one giving birth, right?"

"Misty, this is serious!"

Misty stood, setting her bowl down. "Yes Ash! It is serious! So cowboy up, get over yourself and be there for your Pokémon!"

Ash's expression softened as he looked up at her. "But what if-"

"You mess up?" She folded her arms and smirked. "That's why WE follow you around."

"You do tend to leave a wake of fail anywhere you go, pal." Brock spooned more supper into his mouth.

Ash glared at him, but looked back up at his girlfriend as she placed her hands on his shoulders. Sympathetic marine eyes met his brown ones.

"Ash…"

He looked away from her, blushing from embarrassment. "It's just..."

Misty sighed and sat back down next to him, sliding her arms around his shoulders. "A little misunderstanding that's kinda awkward, I know. But you don't love her any less, do you?"

Ash sighed as well, pulling her against him and resting his chin on top of her head. "Of course not…"

"PikaPi?"

Ash turned his gaze downward, Pikachu tugging at his pant leg. Wide brown eyes stared up at him, wanting only to make whatever was wrong go away.

Ash couldn't help it, the corners of his mouth turning upward. He was being ridiculous. His mind was chastising her for something that was beyond her comprehension and all she could gather was he was upset. And for no reason at all.

Letting go of Misty he allowed Pikachu to jump up onto his lap before giving the Pokémon a comforting hug. She purred in response.

Awkward or not… Brock was right.

She was still his Pikachu.

_To be continued..._


	5. Energy

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, my faithful readers X3 you're all very kind. Well... most of you are ^^ the others seem to be very opinionated people. That's fine, this is the internet after all (sirus biznus!!!) I do wish they'd make up their minds though, how do I know what to improve if they keep contradicting themselves in their reviews? Oh well.

I'm sorry to disappoint those few, but I have many readers who are enjoying the story and I will always continue writing if I have just one person interested ;3

Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 4: Storm_

---

Her tail twitched impatiently as she stood poised at the front door, nose in the corner and waiting for him to push it open. Excitement ran throughout her like the electricity that coursed in her veins. She bolted inside the cozy Pallet home as soon as there was a crack big enough between the door and frame that she could squeeze her body through. Announcing her presence with a loud 'PIKA!' she ran into the living room, doing a quick survey before darting for the kitchen.

She heard Ash laughing behind her, shouting "We're home!" in accompany to her own declaration. "Pikachu, settle down. Everything's still here."

But despite his reassurance, she still needed to check. She sniffed along the wall molding, weaving herself around the kitchen table and chairs. Satisfied with the kitchen, she moved down the hall, darting past Delia who was making her way to the front of the house.

"Oh! Pikachu!" the mother giggled, side stepping the rodent and watching her slide a bit on the wood floors during her turn into the woman's bedroom. Smiling brightly at the creature's instinctual urge to inspect the house, Delia turned back around to find Ash in front of her already gathering his mother into a hug.

"Honey!" she beamed, returning her son's embrace, the boy just starting to tower over her in his growth spurt. "Welcome home, Ash!"

"Good to be here," he laughed, feeling Pikachu scamper over his socked feet and head towards the stairs. "Pikachu's already on patrol."

"It's so odd how it does that," Delia said, craning her neck to watch the Pokémon bound up the carpeted stairs, a soft 'pi' accompanied with each step.

"You know how much she likes it here, she just wants to make sure it's how we left it. Remember how she flipped when you painted the guest room?"

"It's probably the closest thing she has to a territory anyway," Brock commented, coming forward to hug Delia who was already tossing her arms around the man. "Hi Miss. Ketchum."

"Brock, dear! Look at you!" Delia cooed, kissing his cheek once before moving right along down the line to Misty, who she couldn't get her arms around fast enough. "Misty, sweetheart!"

"Hi Miss. Ketchum," she giggled, always ready for a Delia hug. The woman was good at giving them. "Thanks again for letting us stay for a little while."

Delia waved her off. "Now don't think anything of it, the three of you are welcome here ANY time and I insist you start treating it like a second home. The minute I heard you were coming I was just thrilled! You know how much I worry when you're—"

Misty just smiled as the woman began her babbling and leading her into the kitchen, certain she'd instantly start prepping tea and sandwiches as soon as she was there. And Delia never failed to be the predictable mother she was, getting out cups and starting the stove as she continued on and on with her endless chatter.

Misty knew it was inescapable. Ever since she met the woman, visits always went like this. Not that she minded. In fact she wouldn't have it any other way. It was refreshing to see a mom in action. To be treated like a child instead of the doormat that her sisters had turned her into. Delia made her feel as if she was getting some semblance of a childhood, even if it was only for a little while.

It was why she visited the woman even after she had split from the trio a few years back. When she had a few days away from the gym she'd make a point to take the ferry across the bay to Pallet, just to check in on the woman. She knew Ash would appreciate it at least. And if for nothing more than her own selfish yearning for a mother's coddling. And again, Delia never disappointed when it came to spoiling them.

She'd spend hours just chatting with the woman, or in reality, listening to the woman chat. About anything really. Misty never got bored from the details of Delia's garden, or the gossip around the small town, and of course Delia's favorite topic…

Her son.

Misty found the two talked about Ash a lot. It was nice being able to get a different view of the boy through his mother's babble. Really, it only attracted the gym leader to him more. Like Ash was more of a person because he had a mother or something strange like that. Misty couldn't put her finger on it, but she didn't over think it.

She had been worried the woman would actually combust after hearing the news that Ash and her were dating. She had never heard that sound come from a human being before, positive only Zubats could reach that pitch.

Course that only sprouted new conversation topics from the woman. Like marriage and babies and white picket fences. Ash would always leave the room or walk away from the vidphone with his ears covered, shouting "LA LA LA!" as loud as he could. It amused Misty to no end.

Though she doubted she and Ash were anywhere near white picket fences, her feminine side didn't exactly object to fantasizing about it. And with his mother obviously so comfortable with who her precious-gift-from-above was dating, it only made the fantasies more tangible.

Brock joined the women in the kitchen, no secret in the fact that he felt more at home around cookware. And though Delia's pestering was firm, Brock could not be shooed away from the tea set.

Upstairs Pikachu was prancing out of the guest room, head and tail held high as she continued her inspection of the Pallet residence as if it was the most important self appointed job there was. It's not that she didn't trust her trainer's mother; it was just that she felt obligated to make sure everything was still there. Change was such a constant in their lives that is was nice to come back to something that seemed to always stay the same no matter what. It was comforting.

And an ideal place for what she was preparing herself for.

Making her way to the most sacred room in the house, namely her PikaPi's bedroom, Pikachu halted suddenly when a familiar face shuffled its way out of the bathroom.

Familiar, yet not exactly a welcome one.

Mr. Mime glanced up after setting down a bucket full of soapy water, setting his sights on the glaring yellow Pokémon at the end of the hallway. He returned the glare with an icy one of his own.

"_Brat_," he scoffed.

"_Tool_," she turned her nose up at him.

It wasn't as if the two had always been so cold with one another. It just happened to be that Pikachu didn't see the harm in tracking dirty paw prints through the kitchen and Mr. Mime wasn't concerned if he started vacuuming at six in the morning next to a sound asleep electric mouse.

It rubbed her the wrong way how Mr. Mime always glared at her and her travel companions as if they were foreign objects. He even treated her trainer, a boy who grew up in this house, as a speck of dirt that needed to be scrubbed from the carpet.

What did he expect? They were traveling around the world, dust and dirt came with the territory of Pokémon trainer. Sure, it was nice to have a clean house, but an obsessively clean house? The smell of a little nature was much more comforting then Lysol.

It was beyond insulting whenever they came to visit to be treated like an infestation. This was _her_ house, she had been there first. He had practically just waltzed right in and _invited_ himself to stay. Then he had the nerve to act like _she _was the intruder?

But despite their vendetta, they played nice for the sake of their trainers. It would more than likely upset Delia and Ash to find out their companions weren't very fond of one another.

That didn't mean they couldn't exchange insults while 'looking' like they were 'playing nice'. They'd be screwed if any of the humans ever did learn how to speak Pokémon fluently.

Knowing very well she was the more powerful, and obviously more important of the two, Pikachu tossed her ears back and trotted towards Ash's bedroom. She need not bother herself with someone who's most challenging battles were against dust bunnies and mildew. While she was saving the planet from unspeakable evil, he was doing dishes.

"_Back so soon?_" he narrowed his eyes, waving off the fact that their last visit had been months ago.

She ignored him, keeping her tiny black nose tilted upward, delicate yellow paws padding across the hardwood floor. Ignoring was the most kind of retorts and Pikachu did her best to avoid confrontation at all times. She was very well known for being a mediator amongst the team, no need to spoil that reputation.

Annoyed at being ignored, he just glared. But as she passed him, Mr. Mime caught a strong whiff of her scent. Annoyed expression turned into one of disgust. Dipping his washcloth back into the bucket of water, he muttered under his breath. "_Well excuse me for breathing the same air as Viridian Forest's Finest Whore_."

She paused, fur bristling at the comment from the creepy clown Pokémon. Her deep brown eyes flashed dangerously as she started grinding her teeth together. Screw her reputation.

With one swift kick of her back leg the entire hallway was drenched in murky water.

Mr. Mime stared in shock at the mess she had just created, turning to growl at his adversary. But his anger quickly flip-flopped at the vicious grin across Pikachu's face. His eyes trailed to the tip of her tail just touching the surface of the water.

Looking down he found himself standing in the small pool.

Misty, Brock and Delia glanced up from their tea as the lights flickered a few times.

Outside, Ash was releasing his traveling team, allowing them all ample time to stretch and relax.

"We'll be here for awhile guys," Ash said, rubbing under Floatzel's chin as he purred. "Give Pikachu a few weeks."

The other Pokémon nodded in understanding, already aware of their friend's expectance. That just meant more downtime for them and inevitably… more friends to add to Ash's always growing Pokémon family.

Staraptor took up roost on the steeple of the roof while Bayleaf was making herself comfortable in the garden. Monferno and Rampardos were settling themselves in a sunny area of soft green grass for napping.

Ash smiled as he watched everyone get nestled, Floatzel bounding down to the seashore for a long awaited swim in the ocean waves. Assured all his Pokémon were happy and taken care of, he made his way back inside.

"So!" Ash announced with a grin as he slipped out of his sneakers at the back door. "What's for dinner?"

Misty and Brock rolled their eyes, but Delia just smiled at her son's enthusiasm. "I'll order out, how does that sound?"

Ash's grin seemed to answer that question. The pitter patter of little rodent feet had the group turning to see Pikachu enter the kitchen, a smirk on her maw.

"Aww, good to be home Pikachu?" Misty asked.

Pikachu simply nodded, setting her sights on Delia and taking a moment to rub the length of her body against the woman's bare ankles. "Pi-KA-chu!" she purred.

"How's our little mother to be, hmm?" Delia cooed, reaching down to lift the creature up onto her lap. Needless to say the doting parent had been ecstatic to hear the news, not even really giving the Pokémon's gender mystery a second thought. Babies were babies, and Delia loved the idea of a little Pikachu brood.

"Ash, you're keeping up on her prenatal care right? Brock, is he keeping up with the care?" she pestered as she ran her slim hand over the purring Pikachu's head.

Ash rolled his eyes. He expected this. It was in his mother's nature of course. "Moooom, I'm on top of it, alright?"

"Like you were on top of what pronouns to use for her?"

Ash narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend, talking through his teeth. "We're taking her over to Professor Oak on Wednesday…"

"Oh good," Delia mused as she cuddled the Pokémon to her chest. "Samuel will want to look her over, isn't that right honey?" The woman's voice slipped into baby talk as she held Pikachu up to her face.

The Pokémon forced a smile and nuzzled her red cheek against the woman's. She had never been very fond of the dumbed down tone some humans used when speaking to her, but she'd tolerate Delia.

Especially with that slightly charred bastard watching from the doorway.

***

After dinner the dwellers of the Pallet home decided to entertain themselves separately. Brock couldn't remember the last time he just sat and watched a boring documentary on TV. It was beyond relaxing to the breeder. He didn't have to think, the program was doing that for him.

Delia had been gossiping on the phone with one of the ladies that lived down the road. Her bubbly chatter was a nice contrast to the quiet of the rest of the house. And it was always about pleasant things like flower arrangements or Sunday games of Pinochle.

Misty could not think of anything she wanted to do more than lose herself in the longest bubble bath in the history of bubble baths. Delia kept the bathroom stocked with sweet smelling soaps and salts, just begging the teenage girl to take advantage of them.

Ash was currently lounging on his bed indulging himself in one of his old graphic novels. With a full stomach and a calm household, it was the perfect evening activity.

Pikachu was sprawled out on her side, her body pressed up against his thigh as he rhythmically stroked her electric colored fur. She'd occasionally lift her head to obsessively groom her forepaw, but otherwise napping against her trainer was a good way to spend her evening. With Ash always in perpetual motion, taking advantage of his down time was a must. Especially with the sudden onslaught of fatigue she had been experiencing.

Ash looked away from his book to smile at the rodent, who once again seemed to find something unclean about her right paw. She'd lick the fur once or twice before reaching up to run it down the length of her ear. Then she'd settle down again.

He scratched under her chin, eliciting a purr from the creature. Less than three weeks before his newly discovered female friend would be doing the last thing he had ever expected from her. It still puzzled him. How she had kept the secret from him for so long. Let alone being a girl, he had no idea she was even considering offspring.

Then again Brock was right. It didn't exactly work the same way human love did. In fact, love really wasn't even part of the equation. It was just instinct. A need to pass on one's genetic data and further their bloodline. And no matter how human his little buddy seemed at times, she was still a Pokémon.

Ash set his book down in his lap, leaning back against the headboard.

It made him think about his own future endeavors. His mind putting it in the order he was taught. Love, marriage, family. Unlike his conductive cohort, it was generally frowned upon in human society for disappearing into the forest, impregnating a random stranger, and then just going about like it never happened.

Ash winced, suddenly unhappy with that thought. He didn't like the idea of his pikachu being used like that. His protective nature was flaring up again and he glanced down at her.

Pikachu was resting her chin on his thigh, a content smile on her face as Ash rubbed the top of her head. She wasn't exactly showing signs of having gone through a traumatic experience recently. If anything she had been the happiest he had ever seen her.

Ash scoffed at his own ignorance. Brock was right. Just because it wasn't the way he thought it should be, doesn't mean it was the wrong way. He ruffled Pikachu's long ears.

"With all the amazing things you've done… why am I so worried?"

Pikachu purred in reaction to her trainer's soft tone. "Ka-chu."

"Yeah," Ash smiled. "You'll be a great mom…"

Referring to her in that sense was going to take some getting used to. About as much time as it was going to take to get used to calling her a 'her'.

She didn't seem to mind though, allowing his gentle pets and resting her head between her paws. Ash shrugged, deciding to just stop over thinking it and return to his book.

Moments later, after he was deep back into his story and he was sure his Pokémon had fallen asleep; she surprised him by lifting her ears straight up. Her head soon followed the motion, brown eyes locked on the window. Ash raised an eyebrow at her as she sat up.

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

Pikachu climbed over Ash's lap, stepping onto the end table and making a short leap up onto the windowsill. She stood still as she stared out into the dark sky, only her sensitive ears twitching and following sounds Ash could only dream of hearing.

A few minutes later the cloud line lit up from a faint streak of lightning.

Pure excitement danced across her features. She turned and lept off the sill, landing directly onto Ash's chest.

"Pika Pikachu!"

Ash gave her a weak scolding look which she promptly ignored and hopped down off him, padding towards the bedroom door.

She darted in-between Misty's ankles as the girl stepped into the doorway, clad in pajama shorts and a tank top. She was running a towel through her damp hair as she watched Pikachu make her way down the stairs. Misty looked back at Ash who was groaning and sitting up in bed.

"What's going on?"

"She wants to go outside."

Pawing at the back door, Pikachu turned around as Ash finally came into the kitchen. She tilted her head to the side to assault her trainer with large brown eyes. He gave her a disapproving glare.

"No Pikachu…"

That answer was apparently the wrong one. Long yellow ears drooped, eyes watering and causing the kitchen light to reflect off their glossy surface. A dangerous combination. "Chuu…"

Misty was past help, her knees weakening from the ungodly amount of cute. Ash hung his head and sighed. He didn't even know why he bothered. He had lost the battle before it even began. He walked over and opened the door, the creature letting loose a high pitched, "cha!" before sprinting out and down the porch steps.

Misty stepped out onto the porch with Ash paying no mind to her bare feet or damp hair. She could feel the slight drop in temperature, the humidity hanging heavy in the night air. The thunder in the distance was the last clue as to why they were following the Pokémon outside.

They watched Pikachu bound out towards a boulder in the center of the field behind Ash's house. Strong back legs propelled the Pokémon up onto the rock, nose to the sky and tail pointed out for balance. It didn't take a genius to figure out what attracted the mouse to thunderstorms.

The breeze picked up, tossing Misty's damp hair around her face. She turned her gaze from Pikachu to Ash. He just continued to stare at his companion as she monitored how close the storm was.

Another streak of lightning had Pikachu's ears perking.

"Five miles…" Ash muttered, remembering how to count the seconds between the thunder and lightning.

Misty smirked and took his hand into hers. She had taught him that trick the first year they had traveled together. She was flattered that he still used the method, even if it wasn't really all that useful. If the storm was close enough for you to hear thunder and see lightning… rain was pretty much inevitable.

Pulling her boyfriend to the edge of the porch, the two sat down on the top step. Misty leaned against Ash's shoulder, prompting him to slip his arm around her instinctively.

Another clap of thunder.

"Probably shouldn't let her stay out here."

Misty shook her head. Of course he would start this. He wouldn't be Ash if he didn't. Of course he also wouldn't be Ash if he went through with it. "Like you'd make her come inside…"

A warm summer drizzle started up, dotting the dry dirt around the house with little droplets.

"She could catch a cold."

"She's fine, Ash."

"The rain can't be good for the babies."

"Why? Are they rock types?"

Ash smirked at her attempt at a joke. "That was lame…"

"You're lame…"

"Your face is lame."

"Your mom is lame."

"Your mom's face is lame."

There was a moment of silenced before they both allowed themselves to laugh at their immaturity. Long, loud giggles trilled over the increasing rain for awhile until quiet swept over them again. Ash broke it quickly though.

"It hasn't rained in awhile…"

Misty hugged his left arm as she nuzzled against it. "All the more reason to let her enjoy this. It's good for her."

The drizzle had successfully transformed into a steady rain, a loud clap of thunder rattling the wooden porch. Lightning lit up the sky directly after.

The sound the rain made when it pelted the roof and trees was one of Ash's favorite sounds. And because he wasn't currently in a sleeping bag in the middle of the forest, getting completely soaked while trying to sleep, he could enjoy this kind of weather from the comfort of his back porch.

He took a deep breath of the muggy air, taking in the fresh scents that the storm brought out of the soil and plants. With her advanced senses, Ash could completely understand why his Pokémon was so attracted to a summer thunderstorm.

Pikachu was doing the same as her trainer, opting instead to put herself closer to the weather, enjoying the sensation of the warm rain sliding through her fur. She opened her eyes, the lightning dancing across her pupils. Something buzzed inside her.

A few somethings actually.

She started slightly, standing completely still to see if she could again feel the presence inside her.

They were feeding off her excitement, awoken by her adrenaline. Their movement only heightened the strong impression the storm gave off. It was new yet familiar all at the same time.

New… yet familiar.

_Just like thunderstorms_, she thought.

She took a moment to ponder that. Each storm was different; new patterns, sometimes springing up out of nowhere without any warning.

But they were always formed the same way, using the same mechanics. They always carried familiar traits, sights, smells.

Pikachu stood on her hind legs, her fur absorbing the static in the air, drinking in the electrical pulses in each raindrop.

Soon she'd be able to share this with them. With the ones stirring up a little thunderstorm of their own within her.

It was such an odd feeling. New, despite the fact that she had been aware of her body's intentions weeks ago. But she had just become more aware of what it meant. What she would have to do.

She suddenly wanted to teach them. Explain to them little things about the world that would be theirs soon enough. Like the importance of taking advantage of the energy nature gave off at times like this. A natural recharge.

Lowering herself back down, grounding her paws against the rock, Pikachu raised her ears and tail to their maximum height. Sparks flickered around her cheeks, evaporating the water running down her face and causing just a bit of steam.

Thunder.

Her eyes blazed. She took a deep breath. A smile played across her maw.

Lightning.

Energy exploded around her making her fur stand on end. The light was so bright she had to close her eyes to protect the sensitive pupils.

For a moment she could feel their fear and she was worried she was making a mistake in doing this. But she held on, continuing the lesson. Her confidence calmed them and eventually they too basked in the invigorating electrical energy.

She was already feeling prideful. It was very common in young of her kind to not be able to handle the current that physically surged through them. They would often shock themselves on accident, causing confusion and alarm. But here she was absorbing an electrical storm and feeling their strength cheer her on.

They were already so powerful.

The entire exchange with the storm only lasted seconds, but felt much longer. Pikachu gasped, panting as she regained the air that had been knocked out of her. She shook the rain and excess static from her fur, bringing herself down from the high. Through her recovery though, she smiled fondly, still feeling their movement.

Proof that there was something more than just pride inside her.

And she was already so attached.

---

Lightning briefly lit up the pitch dark office. The high backed chair was faced towards the window lined wall, its occupant instantly shadowed as the light dissolved.

Darkness was a staple in his life. In more ways than one. It was an addiction like anything else he supposed; started by accident and then brought to a point of no return.

It wasn't his intended lifestyle, but like a lot of who he currently was, things rarely ever went the way he planned them. Now it was just a matter of "well I've already come this far, why stop now?"

Besides, intended or not, it was a very lucrative lifestyle. No real consequences to his actions. At least none that affected him. He had no one to answer to, no one to impress, instead being the one that others needed to impress. A life many people would kill to have.

And one many people were dying for.

Obtained by ill gotten deeds, it wasn't what he originally had asked for, but not something he was about to give up either. He'd conditioned himself to think as dark as his office was at the moment. Convinced that he deserved it all.

Did he have regrets? Perhaps at one point he might have. But those thoughts were long forgotten. And he wanted them to stay that way. That made it easier to swallow

But in recent years it seemed as if the universe was laughing at him. Taking much joy in the conflict that presented itself in the form of an aspiring Pokémon master.

The thought of all he owned, all he had accomplished, surpassed, dominated. The name he had made for himself and the reputation he built up. All of that? Being taken away or tainted by someone so… insignificant?

It was disgusting. The notion alone made him want to shower off the disdain.

And yet there was that slight allure of… pride? Could it be considered pride? That the one person that had ever dared stand against him…

Okay, he wasn't the _only_ one to, but he was one of the few that succeeded. And he alone was the only one that did it… frequently.

But he, of all the individuals on the planet. Of course it had to be him. That was irony, and his life was the living definition of the word.

It was actually kind of comforting. That if only one person was going to compromise the life he had become accustomed to, it would be the spawn of his own genetic code.

It was a testament of his own natural skill.

He'd probably disagree with that. No, he _would_ disagree, say his drive was all his own. His proficiency, his talent, his will. That was all him. And he'd rattle off some noble proverb about love and friendship and nonsense as such.

His son would never admit how much they had in common. They just had different ways of executing their gifts.

But speaking of desirable genetic traits.

He grinned, leaning back into his chair, another flash of lightning illuminating his smile.

Oh the potential of that creature. Such extraordinary power contained in a conveniently sized package. Travel sized even. It seemed so unfair that the animal belonged to his young foil and not himself.

The boy was talented and resourceful, yes, but he would never understand a Pokémon's true purpose. Why it was so important to tap into the real muscle they possessed. That was proven simply enough given the boy's extreme lack of using evolution to work for him.

If he wouldn't evolve his Pokémon, they would never reach their full potential. And he would stay ignorant to what real power was. If the animal was that powerful in it's lesser from…

His son had raised it well, especially after what a pathetic start he had. A little dumb luck, a little of his father's genes. But there was no doubt; he had done well with it. But he was too soft. And that would always be his downfall.

There was no questioning the matter. It would be a waste to not intervene.

He'd tried the traditional route. But theft had failed time and time again. No, a new technique would have to be implemented.

Especially with the news he had been given a week earlier.

Laws of nature clearly stated: if a parent retained attractive qualities that made it stand out amongst others, its offspring would inherit a decent portion of those traits, as well as develop new ones.

It was fate telling him to stop putting the matter on hold. For so long he had procrastinated. Just telling himself the creature was _already_ his, he was just letting someone else train it for the time being. But now, now he'd have a brand new batch of talent to mold and shape, fresh out of the oven.

It was just begging him to take advantage of it.

At that moment a stream of light spilled into the office, one of the double doors nudged open by the sleek Persian. It padded into the room gracefully, rounded the desk and took up position next to its trainer. It wedged its head under the man's hand on the armrest of his chair. The Persian's ears bent back in pleasure as its trainer complied with its wishes, purring at the smooth strokes.

"I believe…" the man spoke, causing his Pokémon to stand at attention. "I believe it's time to give my son a call. We have some catching up to do."

_To be continued..._


	6. Turbulence

**A/N:** A little later than I would have liked, but here's the newest chapter.

I would like to thank my reviewers as usual. Such kind and thoughtful comments you leave. I'm happy to share my writing with you.

My wonderful beta readers: the three of you are a lot of help and I'm really lucky to have you as my friends X3

To my dedicated Flammer: you don't fool me by changing the anonymous names you leave on my stories ;3 but really you accuse me of being uncreative, and yet you yourself are starting to sound like a broken record with the same complaints. I'm bored with it, come up with something new *snap snap* dance, puppet, dance!

Oh! Fun tidbit... I went back and changed chapter names X3 yay thunderstorm stages!

* * *

_Chapter 5: Turbulence _

Jerking up in bed, Ash let all his breath out in one rasped exhale. Mind still swimming from sleep, he ran a hand through his black bangs, dampened from the cold sweat coating his skin. He took a moment to look around, making sure he was indeed still in his bedroom.

His movement woke the sleeping Pokémon taking up the majority of his pillow. Pikachu groggily lifted her head with a start. A stammered "Pika?" made its way free from her throat.

Seemingly convinced he wasn't still in the depths of his dreams, Ash shifted in bed. He tossed the covers off himself, laying back against the sheets to air dry his clammy skin. He glanced towards the shimmering eyes beside him, lighted from the moonlight spilling into the room.

"S'ok girl…" he muttered comfortingly, reaching a hand up to gently ruffle her ears. "Justa dream."

He smiled when he felt her rough sandpaperish tongue run across the back of his hand a few times, her own way of letting him know it was okay. Silly how reassured by it he was.

He attempted to settle back down, to drift back into the haze of unconscious thought. But his battle partner had been stirred from her deep sleep and was now up and awake. He felt her carefully crawl off his pillow and make her way to the edge of the bed.

That had him sitting back up, more awake at the sight of his Pokémon attempting a jump to the carpet bellow; front paws kneading against the comforter, tail poised for a leap. He was quick to put a stop to that, gently slipping his hands under her upper arms and leaning over the bed to place her down on the floor.

She turned to give him a quizzical look, ears twitching a few times before dropping to all fours and making her way out of the bedroom, paws lightly tapping against the hardwood hallway.

Ash took a moment to sit up in bed and watch her disappear out of the room. He took note of his once five-pound friend's shadow carrying just a bit more weight now, causing the creature to waddle a little when she walked.

She no doubt needed a drink. In the last two weeks her appetite had been voracious and she acted as if water was going out of style.

For awhile Pikachu had been adamant about continuing to battle, Ash having to physically remove her from the field more than once when she tried to weasel her way into a match. She'd dart out before he could release another team member and await orders. He'd stop the battle against whatever Pallet opponent he came across, politely holding his hand up before walking out to gather up his stubborn Pokémon.

This would usually result in a short chase, her refusing to be kept back on the sidelines, then the inevitable mild electrocution of her trainer. Only then would she retreat, head and tail held high in some attempt to keep her pride.

Ash didn't blame her. No, he wasn't happy about it, but Nurse Joy told him to expect her mood to flip flop.

But now, where stubbornness had been, fatigue was left in its place. She'd spend a good portion of the day napping. Then the rest of the time eating. Then back to napping.

Again, he wasn't going to question it. She was lugging around a few visible extra pounds now, a thought he had mistakenly said out loud. The result, once more, was a barbecued Pokémon trainer.

It was getting to the point that they were saying 'any day now'. A phrase his mother and girlfriend had simply been dying to utter. They were making it very clear how spoiled this litter would be. He didn't doubt it and he was content to let them gush.

It just gave him more time to contemplate it from another angle. Three more members to his growing Pokémon family. New little lives to take care of, to help mold and shape. After chatting with Professor Oak he felt a little more confident in the matter. He was told Pikachu would be doing most of the work of course, and letting her alone would be the wisest course of action. Bonding and training wouldn't start for at least six weeks after, and even then it would consist of little more than the offspring getting used to the humans in their lives.

Ash understood, but knew he'd have a hard time sitting back while the new litter adjusted. It was in his natural instinct to be a part of whatever events were happening around him. And what more was this was his Pikachu, his best friend.

He rarely did anything without her. If he had, he couldn't really remember. So her doing something without him? Not needing him? It felt awkward.

But that was the way things were, and like it or not, he would always do what was best for her. If staying away was what he needed to do, he'd tough it out.

Fully awake and having spent the last minute letting his mind wander, Ash sighed and pulled himself out of bed. Now_ he_ wanted a glass of water and possibly a late night snack.

Quietly walking downstairs, he did a double take towards the living room where his older friend was sleeping on the couch. Brock's arm was slung off the side and Pikachu had positioned herself just under it, slowly batting at it and making it swing back and forth. A small 'Pi' was uttered every time his hand swung back in her direction.

Brock muttered an inaudible sentence, obviously not even contemplating getting up to indulge the expectant mother in whatever it was she wanted. And seeing as it was Brock she had her attention focused on, Ash could only assume the goal was food.

"Pikachu," Ash whispered sharply, making the Pokémon whirl around with her ears up straight. "Let's let Brock sleep, huh?"

With that he nodded towards the kitchen, letting her know he was headed that way anyway. With slight hesitation she trotted after him, her distended abdomen barely an inch off the ground.

The Pokémon cautiously followed her trainer into the adjacent room. On a good day Ash could screw up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And she wasn't going to tolerate burnt toast or soggy cereal at the moment. Her already queasy stomach would refuse.

But while Ash was normally strict about what his team ate and how often, so that they all stayed in peak fighting condition, at the moment he was finding it hard to deny his little partner her snack of choice. Opening the fridge and taking out a juice carton for himself, he also grabbed the bottle of ketchup on the lowest shelf.

Seeing the favored condiment, Pikachu's eyes lit up and she quickly began circling his ankles, paws outstretched towards the bottle. Ash laughed and handed it down to her.

"You're weird," he smirked as he poured himself a glass of juice, watching Pikachu settle down on the kitchen floor and pop open the bottle top. As gross as it seemed to him, he couldn't help but find some amusement in the repetitive process of her squeezing the bottle just slightly and lapping up the droplet that formed at the top.

He shook his head and took a sip of his drink. He wouldn't question it. If she liked ketchup that much, that was her business. But he'd draw the line at letting her consume the entire bottle. All that sodium would surely mess with her blood pressure. But a little bit would be alright, enough to satisfy her craving so they could both go back to sleep.

As Ash filled up a bowl of water for his Pokémon, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Misty, clad in bubble print pajamas, shuffled into the kitchen while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She smiled dozily down at Pikachu who held up her prize, showing off the ketchup as if to say, "Look what I got!"

"She's going to eat that whole thing," she yawned.

Ash held out his glass of juice, offering her a drink, "I'm watching her."

Misty nodded, accepting it and taking a sip.

"Did we wake you?"

Misty shrugged noncommittally. "I'm a light sleeper when I actually have a bed."

Ash understood, knowing how she felt. As nice as a mattress felt, all three of them had become accustomed to the forest floor. With the sounds of nature as an effective lullaby, it was hard to sleep soundly anywhere else.

"Yeah, I know… been having weird dreams the last few nights."

Misty set the glass down, turning a concerned look towards him. "You alright?"

Ash shrugged it off. "They're just dreams."

But Misty wasn't convinced. Not in the world they lived in, the life they lived, the things they had seen and experienced. After all of it, it was hard to believe that dreams were 'just dreams'.

She moved forward to slip her arms around Ash's waist, resting her head on his chest. Ash smirked and embraced her, arms around her shoulders. She was overreacting, of course, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to spoon with his girlfriend.

"You worry too much," he whispered to her.

She hugged him tighter. "You don't worry enough."

With a wide yawn, Pikachu had decided she was tired enough to forgo the consumption of anymore ketchup that evening. Waddling over to the fridge, she pulled the door open to put the bottle back… where she could reach it later. Padding slowly over to the two trainers, well aware she was interrupting their cuddling, Pikachu lifted her arms up into the air with an exhausted. "Pikaaa."

Ash rolled his eyes, but Misty complied and scooped her up. "You poor girl, lookit you," the water trainer cooed.

Ash smirked, "Lemme guess… any day now?"

Misty squeaked in excitement as she cuddled the Pokémon.

The three made their way up to Ash's room, Misty crawling up onto his bed and setting Pikachu down, who immediately went belly up in request for pettings. Misty happily obliged, rubbing the mouse's plump stomach, marveling at the fact that she could now feel the little masses inside.

Professor Oak had been doing weekly ultrasounds and showing the progression of the unborn pichu. It was hard to determine how many there were because some could be hidden behind their siblings, but all in all things were on track.

"So… what was your dream about?"

Ash stretched, trying to change the subject. "I dunno Misty, I can't remember."

"Yes you do, you just don't want to tell me," she pouted, lying down next to Pikachu, cuddling the Pokémon as she did so.

Ash sighed and climbed up onto the bed, sitting back against the headboard. "No, I just don't remember it."

Misty sat up, moving over to curl up against him in his lap. He put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.

It was quiet between the two for a few moments, Ash avoiding talking and Misty waiting for him to open up. It was a matter of who would cave first.

"My dad was in it…"

Misty looked up at him, her concern deepening. Ash shrugged it off.

"Ash-"

"It's nothing, Misty."

She scowled at him. "Don't give me that. No one expects you to be okay with it."

"I never said I was. I just… try not to think about it," Ash trailed off.

"He's your father Ash, I know it's not an easy thing to ignore."

"It'd be easier if he'd call off his annoying lap dogs."

"Been awhile since we've seen them," she shrugged. "Maybe he did."

"I doubt it. They're probably just digging a deeper hole somewhere."

Misty snorted in amusement. "You know it's sad they keep resorting to that."

Ash rolled his eyes. "No, what's sad is it keeps working."

Misty laughed, burying her face in his shoulder. "We can handle them," she said, "your father-"

"Is a major asshole."

Misty smirked and nuzzled up against his arm. "There see? Is it so hard to let your feelings show?"

It was Ash's turn to laugh. "Well gee, I'll be sure to call my dad an asshole a lot more if it'll make you happy, Mist."

Their light laughter on such a heavy subject somehow made them both feel better, relaxing back into the pillows and distracting themselves with a series of soft airy kisses.

Pikachu was lounging at the end of the bed, watching the two trainers. Seeing that they were getting a little cozier and bored with watching them, she stood up and carefully managed to hop down to the carpet. Her back regretted the action.

No wonder Ash had recently become concerned with her jumping down from things, barely allowing her to perch on his shoulder anymore. It was getting harder to keep her balance anyway. Simple actions she once did without a second thought were much more difficult now.

Deciding to give her companions some space, she trotted over to Ash's closet that she had successfully claimed as her den. Nudging the door open with her nose, Pikachu squeezed inside and over to her nest; namely Ash's backpack.

Lined with old shirts and a few ripped up socks, the top flap of the bag was pulled back, making an effective bed large enough for herself and probably another her size. Convincing Ash to relinquish his pack was easy after he found out why she wanted to fill it with bedding so badly.

Pikachu curled up in the odd nest, tucking her zig-zagged tail around her body and resting her chin on her paws. She closed her eyes and tried to lose herself in thought.

She had attempted to listen to the conversation between her trainer and his mate. Human speak was already slightly confusing, let alone trying to decipher it all while battling hunger pains and the constant assault on her organs by the little thunderstorms inside her.

Most things humans said she was able to understand rather well; battle attacks, commands, simple directions. Those were easily known simply because of repetition. So when her trainer had mentioned his father moments earlier, her fur bristled from the familiarity of the term.

She didn't like him referring to that man like that. It wasn't what she would define him as. She was aware what father meant in human definition. And the man they were describing as such did not deserve the title.

For as long as she knew Ash… in fact it had been the very second day they started their journey that the rivalry with that organization had began.

And it was getting old.

No, it was past old. She'd put up with their constant futile attempts of obtaining her, harnessing her power for their own sick desires, long enough. Time and time again she had to deal with them retching her from her trainer's side.

A few times here and there the calls had been close, the stakes raised, the fear present. But most of the time it was just annoying.

Luckily through the last year the presence of the trio had been nonexistent. There had been a point when they would run across them almost daily. And then…

…nothing. They just stopped showing up at inconvenient times.

She shrugged and snuggled deeper against an old black t-shirt of Ash's. You wouldn't find her complaining.

The only real connection they could make to it though was the knowledge that currently made her skin crawl.

She shook off the feeling. She didn't want to think about that day, it had been awful for anyone involved and it was better left in the deep recesses of her mind.

Why Ash had to bring him up was beyond her. But he could deal with it however he wanted to, she decided it was easier for herself to ignore it.

The less Team Rocket invaded her mind, the better.

***

Copper colored eyes glanced over the steering wheel at the laboratory atop the small hill. Taking a moment to adjust his uniform, clipping on a laminated name tag reading 'Rich Cottrell', the man grabbed his briefcase before exiting the vehicle.

He thought about the name tag, one that he'd picked up earlier along with the fake inspection uniform and decal for the van. He wouldn't deny that the agents in level three had a talent for this kind of cloaking. They were always so thorough.

But why they insisted on using his real name on the tag, Rich didn't know. Not that names meant anything to the organization. Agents were defined by their fields, the work they did, and the numbers they were given.

Names were for people who existed.

And as far as anyone in the world knew, Rich Cottrell didn't.

He was long past the phase of getting used to that fact. What did it matter? Rich Cottrell was a no one from the Hoenn region whom not a soul cared about nor missed.

Agent 62 was a successful, level twelve field agent with extensive base training, data gathering expert, and a master at masquerade. He was a trusted and valuable member to the organization with direct praise from the boss himself.

Rich Cottrell was not.

He made his way up the walk leading to the laboratory doors. After a quick knock, he waited, going over his mission and the details in his brain.

This specific subject had been on the priority list for some time now, slowly climbing as issues before it were taken care of. Now it was in the top five.

The part of the list that _he_ was always concerned with.

Years had passed and the subject stayed on the list. The agents originally in charge of it were possibly known as the biggest screw-ups in the entire history of the organization. Never had a mission gone unfinished for so long.

And a mission, in Rich's opinion, that was as easy as missions could get.

Level 0 agents should be attending to this, not someone of his caliber. Rumors spread about the agents, about the subject, about the trainer in question. Whether it was worth it, whether it was an impossible job or not. Whether the boss really wanted the Pokemon or wanted it just because of who it's trainer was.

He didn't think it was so important, but it wasn't his job to decide that. It had been classified as an omega priority for so long; in the green level as far as difficulty. A simple capture.

How could that take over five years to complete?

The mission had been deemed a failure and not worth the trouble of reinstating years ago. The agents put on the job having long since been assumed fired, whether they thought so or not. Rumors that the trio had been driven to near insanity spread like wild fire, but some simple snooping found that they had finally relented to just giving up the chase.

He personally, was surprised. At one point Rich had thought that was really all they were living for anymore. But go at something long enough and continue to fail at it would eventually teach you a healthy sense of apathy. Which it apparently did since his research found the three 'retired' to the Orange Islands, settling down in a beach side home, giving up the 'life of crime and dishonesty' for a life of 'not really caring what they were labeled anymore.'

He could report them, but he would gain nothing from it. They were off the roster, the boss never inquired about them, and frankly... no one cared.

Only recently, within the last year, had the subject he was currently investigating suddenly jumped back into priority. Rapidly climbing to the top of the list. And all due to the discovery of who exactly it's trainer was. Or rather, the _confirmation_ of who it's trainer was.

Before it was considered a rarity.

Now revenge was mixed into the issue.

The door to the lab opened causing Rich to focus his attention on the young adult greeting him, forest green hair pulled back with the help of a red bandanna. Rich placed the assistant immediately in his mind, his research filing him under the name 'Sketchit'.

The assistant eyed the stranger's uniform before smiling kindly. "Eco-inspector right? The one from the phone?" He held the door open for the man.

Rich nodded calmly, entering and removing his hat. "It shouldn't take long."

"Take as long as you need," he said, leading Rich through the laboratory hallways. "The professor said to alert him of any malfunctions or concerns there might be. He's with someone right now though, so come find me and I'll let him know." Extending his hand, he introduced himself as Tracey.

Rich shook his hand firmly. "Of course sir."

After leading him to the proper room, in which he was assumed to be monitoring the waste output from the equipment used specifically for poison type Pokémon, Tracey left Rich to his 'work'.

Rich set his briefcase down, pulling out a small device. Casually walking to the far wall, he unclipped a small earpiece from the hand held device, lodging it comfortably in his right ear. Clicking a few buttons on the device, he set it in his front pocket, taking out a pen as he did so.

Clicking the pen revealed a Philips screwdriver head instead, allowing him to take off the grating of an air vent on the wall and suction the now blinking device onto the inside. Replacing the grate, Rich reached up and clicked on his ear piece as he walked back to begin work on the machine he was supposed to be paying attention to.

First rule of a successful disguise act: know what the hell it is you're pretending to impersonate and actually do whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. That way there's nothing to question.

A professional at multitasking, Rich started to check the filtering levels of the machine while simultaneously listening to the conversation in the next room over.

"Light signs of early contractions, very slight dilation."

"She looks about ready to burst if you ask me."

"… ahem, yes, that would be the blunt way of putting it, Ash."

Pikachu nosed her way into one of the deeper pockets of Professor Oak's lab coat, knowing very well that's where he kept the sandwiches he always brought for lunch. Snatching the tuna on rye, she made a quick dash across the counter he was examining her on, skidding behind a computer so he wouldn't be able to reach her as she indulged herself on his meal.

Oak made a sloppy attempt to grab at her, but missed, sighing as he watched her lightning bolt tail disappear behind his consol. "Alright, you can have it," he smirked, as if she was giving him a choice.

Ash looked sheepishly at him when he turned around. "Sorry Professor. I feed her, I swear."

Oak laughed, "It's quite alright. To be expected actually."

Misty sat on a stainless steel table, kicking her feet excitedly. "So… soon?"

"Real soon in fact," Oak nodded. "If not later today, definitely within the next two days."

"I'm surprised she's so active for being this close," Ash commented, glancing in the direction of his Pokémon, who was now getting crumbs all over the wiring of the computer. "She snagged a few more of my shirts from the laundry this morning."

"Normal," Brock waved his hand nonchalantly. "Advanced nesting and restlessness are sure signs she's ready."

Rich smirked to himself as he opened up a side panel of the machine, fiddling with the wiring. Exactly the news he was looking for.

Pikachu, finished with her stolen lunch, gingerly licked the tuna residue from her whiskers. Running her paws across her face a few times to ensure maximum cleanliness, she immediately began sniffing around for dessert.

Her red cheeks sparked at the static being given off from the consol she was using as cover for the moment. Her ears perked as she eyed the insulated wiring around the back on the monitor.

Like long strands of black taffy to her, she quickly sunk her fangs into the cables. Smiling in satisfaction at the energy rush, she settled down to nibble.

Sparks flew from the machinery, alerting the occupants of the room and Rich, who received a small zap to his ear drum.

Painfully pulling the piece from his throbbing ear, the agent winced and pocketed it. He cleaned up his briefcase and went over to retrieve his device from the vent. He had what he came for, no need to get barbecued for anything else.

Ash hurried over beside the consol with a scolding look. "Pikachu! Cut that out!"

Startled from her trainer's tone, she quickly dropped the cable and darted around the corner of the counter. Ash attempted to follow her only to miss grabbing her as she squeezed between a few more machines.

He sighed and turned back to the professor to apologize yet again. But his battle partner wouldn't be so easily deterred from her snack, already having gotten a taste of the lab's energy grid.

Before Ash could say a word another few sparks emitted from the crevice Pikachu had wedged herself inside. A split second later the entire lab was drenched in darkness, groans subsequent.

A throat cleared from somewhere in the dark followed by a nervous laugh.

"Sorry Professor…"

***

Maybe she shouldn't have stolen that sandwich earlier. That was so like thievery: delicious in the beginning, but it always came back to bite you later.

Pikachu whined pathetically as she curled up on her side, trying to soak up some comforting relief from the cool porcelain tiles. She was lying under the kitchen table, over heated, nauseous, and all around uncomfortable.

It was a weird feeling. Normally when she was this uncomfortable she craved… well something. Anything. Cuddles from her human companions. Food. A nap.

But at the moment she didn't even know what she wanted aside from the uncomfortable feeling to go away.

Flipping onto her back, she sighed lightly. Her thoughts concerning her current dilemma were broken by the numerous sets of footsteps coming into the kitchen. They were louder than normal, pounding in her brain and making her wince. Judging by her internal clock, Pikachu guessed it was about time to start making dinner.

With a hesitated motion she pulled herself to all fours, but couldn't find the strength to get higher than that. Crawling out from under the table she mewled pathetically in hopes one of them would make her pain go away.

Misty, who was washing her hands before prepping food with Delia, looked down at the Pokémon rubbing its cheek against her ankle. Concerned with the weary 'chu's coming from Pikachu, she knelt down.

"You hungry again, sweetie?" Misty cooed, stroking the creature's head. Noticing her slightly labored breathing, the water trainer decided on filling up a bowl of water for her boyfriend's Pokémon. She set it down and Pikachu sniffed at the edge of the bowl.

But she took no more than two laps at the drink before backing away from it with a shake of her head.

Misty looked at Pikachu oddly as she turned to waddle slowly out of the kitchen and across the hall to the stair case. Misty leaned against the counter to watch the Pokemon just sit in front of the stairs for a moment before moving forward. Getting up the first step seemed to be okay, but she found the next one to be slightly more difficult.

By the fourth step, the ones before having taken nearly three minutes to scale, Ash was heading down from upstairs. He smiled at his Pokémon, but it faded when he saw her struggling to get up the fifth step.

"You okay buddy?" he asked softly, wasting no time in gently scooping her up. "You wanna go upstairs?"

Pikachu nodded lightly, resting her chin down on Ash's shoulder and releasing a long breath. Her trainer complied, knowing she had been apt to taking long naps recently in his closet. But as he kneeled down to set her in the book bag nest she had put together, he sat a moment to watch her.

Her breathing hadn't calmed down and her ears were drooped to the sides of her head. Large brown eyes weren't focusing, but instead stared off at nothing in particular.

Suddenly breaking her stare she started to dig furiously at the shirts lining her nest, nudging them around with her nose and kicking a few out. Getting to her feet to circle just once, she then returned to the exact same position of lying with her ears down and her eyes staring off.

Ash watched with a mix of wonder and worry. He followed his first instinct which was to call downstairs loudly.

"BROCK!"

It didn't take long for Ash's room to fill up with the other three humans in the house, Misty leaning over Ash's shoulder to see and Brock kneeling beside him to check over Pikachu.

His diagnosis didn't take very long. With a soft smile and a gentle stroke under her chin, Brock nodded. "We should leave her alone now…"

Misty's eyes sparkled. "You mean?"

Brock nodded again and the two women squeaked in excitement. Ash on the other hand leaned down towards Pikachu, petting her ears back. She purred lightly and closed her eyes at his touch.

Misty tugged on Ash's arm. "C'mon Ash, he said we should leave her."

Ash couldn't tear his eyes away from his Pokémon though. He wanted to protest. To tell him he didn't care how it was 'supposed to be done'. But… if it was what Pikachu wanted…

He relented, getting to his feet.

Pikachu lifted her head, watching the three humans leave the room, shutting the closet door till there was just a sliver of light coming inside.

Her ears folded back as she listened to the heavy footfalls going down the stairs.

This was it. She could feel the storms really building up inside her. They were ready and suddenly she wasn't quite sure she was. She surveyed her nest once more, nudging a sock to the left like it made a significant difference.

No… she was ready, of course she was. She was prepared, she had everything in place that her instincts instructed her to. And really, if they were ready she didn't exactly have a choice. And why was she suddenly feeling jittery? Earlier in the week she was brimming with anxious energy, just wanting them to _be_ there.

Still...

She shook her head, ears flapping from the rapid motion. If it was so hard, generation after generation wouldn't continue doing it. It wasn't like this would be the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life. What about the legendaries? Battling the Elites? Saving the whole damn planet several times over?

This was cake.

Pain erupted, spiking through her body and her fur stood on end.

Cake or not, she was scared beyond all reason. And she suddenly didn't care if she was prepared or not, she could be scared if she wanted to. It was new, it was hard, and she was alone.

... why was she alone?

Why did he leave? It felt so nice to have him sitting there. At least knowing she wasn't all by herself made the fear go away. And he'd always been with her through everything. It didn't feel right with him absent.

Maybe he didn't want to be there.

Another flash of pain made her vision swim.

The thought of him not wanting to be there made her even more frightened. She knew it was silly to think that way, but the mix of fear and pain were disrupting her logical thought process. She attempted to stand, to go get him, to ask. It never hurt to ask right? Then she would know for sure and wouldn't have to assume.

But standing seemed impossible.

Nauseous feeling quickly making her lie back down, she mentally scolded herself for being so stupid. What was she doing? She was stronger than this! Needing him there, like some kind of reassurance... puh…

She was completely capable.

Downstairs, Ash was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at his folded hands and not having the slightest idea he was rocking back and forth a bit.

He was aware of the sound of Misty chopping vegetables, his mother rinsing them, and Brock stirring the starts of a stew. But the sounds didn't register as anything more than noise. His mind was on one thing and one thing only.

"You're sure she-"

"-Is completely fine, Ash," Brock assured from his place at the stove. "She's not the first pikachu to give birth."

"But she's MY pikachu. What if she needs me?"

Brock smirked. "To do what?"

"I don't…" Ash quieted, having no idea how to answer. "…know."

Delia giggled slightly, causing Misty to as well. They glanced back at the trainer then smirked at one another.

"He's like a daddy," Misty whispered, causing Delia to snort and cover her mouth.

Ash scowled, having heard her clearly. "I am not!"

"Oh Ash, honey, I think it's cute!"

The master in training groaned. Of course she would find his worrying cute. What was so 'cute' about him acting like the end of the world was upstairs in his bedroom?

The kitchen quieted again and Ash's distraction from his thoughts was gone, once again rendering him as a zombie staring at the wall.

He refused to blink. Why was he so bent out of shape about this? Brock was right; there was nothing he could do short of sit there. He wasn't a breeder or a pokemon professor. And she knew what to do. Everyone kept telling him that. She probably didn't even want him there anyway.

"Yeah… yeah she's fine. She can do this. All on her own. She doesn't need me to-"

**"PIKA-PI!"**

At the sound of the loud shout from upstairs, Ash knocked over his chair in his haste to get out of it. "I'M COMING, PIKACHU!"

The kitchen was silent for a moment as the three listened to Ash thunder up the stairs and then shut his bedroom door. Misty was the first one to smirk and go back to cutting vegetables.

"Saw that coming from a mile away…"

_To Be Continued..._


	7. Coalescence

**A/N: **Life took a crazy turn and I got really busy all of a sudden with work. So this chapter is later and shorter than I would have liked it to be. But don't worry loyal readers ^^ more to come of course!

I received a lot of real thorough and in-depth comments recently and I appreciate their writers very much. You guys inspire me to write more and improve what I'm doing, thank you.

* * *

_Chapter 6: Coalescence_

Ash was sprawled out on his stomach, chin resting on his hands. He was lying on his bed, absorbing everything that had happened earlier that night. His eyes were focused on the pair of brown ones across the room shining from the shadowed closet.

The door was wide open and Pikachu was curled up in his book bag, her unblinking stare directed back at his. She was beyond exhausted, barely having the strength to perk her ears, but you would never be able to tell by her eyes. Bright and alert, Ash smiled at the content look she was giving him.

He craned his neck slightly to try and see past her tail. Not that he needed to see to know they were there, but he found himself checking every few minutes.

As if knowing it was what he was doing, Pikachu complied by just slightly moving the thick edge of her tail, revealing the three squirming little forms huddled up as close to her as they could get.

His smile grew and he settled back down as she recovered them. He couldn't get over how small they were. He bet they could each fit in the palm of his hand.

Their eyes wouldn't open for another day and their fur was nothing more than peach fuzz, but already he could identify each one by their slight color variation. He'd stayed next to Pikachu for the last two hours, but resisted the urge to do anything more than just comfortingly pet her head.

But unlike everything people had been telling him, she didn't seem to want to be left alone. If he moved she'd lift her head in alarm and wouldn't relax until he was back within her eye sight. He was happy to stay though, not wanting to be anywhere else and glad she needed him.

He had contemplated going downstairs after she had finished to relay the news, but he couldn't tear himself away. He was torn; he wanted Misty and Brock to see. He wanted Brock to look them over, maybe even tell him what the genders were. It was all incredibly exciting, but the quiet in his bedroom at the moment was so nice.

He'd keep it that way a while longer.

He propped his arms up on his elbows, talking softly, his smile never wavering. He gently praised his Pikachu, his tone making her smile. She shifted just slightly to crane her neck back, nudging each of the small bundles with her nose, running her tongue over their ears and head. Seemingly satisfied, she then settled back down to continue to stare at her trainer. She released a long silent sigh and her eyelids started to droop.

Ash smirked and pushed himself down off the bed. "You needa rest, pal," he said, crawling over to the closet to sit down by her again. She lifted her chin to rest it on his knee, purring when he started to scratch behind her ears.

His eyes once again found their way to the three feeding pichu. "Misty is gonna explode," he chuckled lightly as Pikachu rubbed her cheek against his knee.

He leaned against the door to think about the reactions of other people. About what it would be like when they started getting active. That brought up a thought and he tilted his head at Pikachu. "Going to have to name them, won't I?"

She looked up at him, "Pika."

Ash glanced up in thought. Naming hadn't even occurred to him. He was never very good at coming up with them, which was why he steered away from it. "Can't call all three of them Pichu, that's kinda weird, huh?"

Pikachu shrugged, not completely following the conversation and more interested in him petting her ears. She indentified each of them via scent anyway, it didn't matter what he called them.

"Oh! What if they rhymed? That'd be cool, huh?"

Pikachu opened her eyes, suddenly finding a reason to listen to what her trainer was suggesting.

Ash was grinning as he went over a list. "Bolt, Volt, Jolt…"

Pikachu raised an eyebrow at him, wrinkling her nose. He couldn't be serious. There was no way her offspring were going to 'rhyme'.

Ash didn't seem to catch her scathing look though, convinced he was a genius. "You like those, girl?"

"I think she'd almost rather you call them all Pichu…"

Both Ash and his Pokémon glanced up as Misty cautiously stood at the bedroom door. Pikachu sighed in relief. The water trainer would talk to Ash and then she wouldn't have to shock some sense into him. She was much too tired to fry his brain cells at the moment. The maiming could be left to his mate.

Ash gave her a questioning look though. "What? Why?"

Misty's mind was off that specific subject though, forgetting his poor choice on names, her eyes on the nest, her hands clasped together, and an anxious look on her face. While Ash stayed clueless, Pikachu beamed at her. She was still exhausted and could really go for a nap, but the urge to show off was far too great.

Seeing the Pokémon smile was invitation enough for Misty. She quickly made her way over to the closet, slowly kneeling down and leaning over to see as Pikachu moved aside her tail.

It took everything the red head had to keep her voice at a whisper, but Pikachu took the long squeak of an "awwww!" as a compliment.

"Oh Ash, look at them!" Misty cooed, cupping Pikachu's cheeks in her hands. "Your babies are beautiful!"

Pikachu purred, agreeing of course.

"Brock, come see the babies!" Misty whispered a little louder to the breeder standing at the doorway. Ash turned around, just noticing him.

"Hey Brock, what do you think of the names-"

"How you holdin' up there, girl?" Brock ignored Ash, cutting off his question and nudging his friend aside so he could kneel down in front of the nest. Pikachu was brimming with pride as the two other humans surrounded her, moving her tail and even nudging the pichu slightly to alert them of the new presence.

Brock stroked the new mother gently before gesturing to her litter. "May I?"

Pikachu needed no convincing, slowly getting to her feet to carefully crawl out of her nest and into Misty's lap. The blind pichu squeaked their disapproval of their mother's absence.

As Brock carefully examined each pichu kit, Ash looked to Misty who was cradling the tired Pikachu in her arms.

"You really don't like those names?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "Seriously Ash? They're like on the top of this list for most cliché names for electric types."

"Did he want to name them something stupid like Bolt or Jolt?" Brock asked, squeaking pichu in hand.

Ash groaned, shoulders slumping and looking defeated. "See this is why I don't bother with names."

"You're just lazy," Misty scratched under Pikachu's chin. The Pokémon was close to falling asleep in the girl's arms. "We'll think of good names, right Pikachu?"

"Ka-chu…" she yawned, resting her chin on Misty's shoulder.

Brock set the last pichu to be examined down before gently taking Pikachu from Misty. He wanted to give her a small check up before insisting she sleep. "We'll keep an eye on them, girl," he reassured her, setting her in the back pack nest. Her offspring hurried to cuddle back up against her once they detected her warmth.

Pikachu barely noticed, tucking her tail around them and closing her eyes as if she'd done it a thousand times before.

Ash and Misty looked to Brock for a diagnosis, but he waved off their concerned looks. "She's going to be tired the next few days, that's inevitable. Otherwise they all look fine and she's doing exactly what she should."

Ash sagged in relief, the worry in the back of his mind quelled. Misty smiled and took her boyfriend by the arm, pulling him to his feet. "C'mon, she needs to sleep. We can research names that won't embarrass them so much they revolt against you."

"Oh! Revolt! That's a good one!"

Misty groaned and dragged him towards the door.

Brock smirked at the two of them before turning his attention back to the Pokémon. He ran his hand down Pikachu's back once more before getting to his feet. She was dead asleep and the three pichu were quickly following her lead.

The largest of the three, an almost orange-ish tint to its fur, was tucked under her back leg. Its tail was curled around itself in a mimic of Pikachu's position.

The middle sized pichu, fur as bright as its mother's, was lounging back against her midsection. It released a long yawn before turning over on its side to nuzzle against her stomach.

The youngest and smallest of the three had the lightest coloring, almost cream in tone. It had wedged itself under Pikachu's chin between her forepaws.

Seeing the new small family sleeping soundly, Brock decided to take his leave. He stepped out but kept the closet door slightly ajar.

Pikachu opened one eye and lifted her right ear once Brock's footsteps disappeared. Confirming that she was alone, she lifted her head to watch the door. Seeing she was truly by herself, she smiled and took a moment to softly groom the pichu between her paws.

She pulled back to look at each of the three resting comfortably against her. She tilted her head, a wide smile across her maw and a dreamy expression over flowing in her eyes. She was brimming with pride and a warm sensation that bubbled up inside her.

She was tired, but couldn't help but stay awake just to watch them sleep. She needed this quiet moment, listening to them breathe and feeling them beside her.

Proof that they were actually there.

---

His mind was screaming in protest. His actions were going against everything he knew.

This was not to say he knew a great deal; having been alive for only three weeks does limit one's knowledge of things. But he considered himself to be advanced for his age.

Though really, advanced or not, this was somewhat audacious.

But despite the warnings going off in his brain, he pushed forward. Ignoring his doubts and mustering up a bit more courage from the voice that only encouraged this sort of boldness. He continued on unsteady legs.

He liked that voice. True, it was the voice that had gotten him stuck behind a few boxes in the closet. And the same voice that had him lost in a tangled web of the video game controller cords. And the very voice that knocked him into the end table that tipped over a rather large glass of water, sending a waterfall off the side and soaking him completely.

But regardless of the fact that said voice often lead to trouble, it also helped him uncover new and exciting things. A whole nother world beyond the backpack. Beyond the closet.

A place only known as 'Ash's Bedroom'.

He'd been the first to venture outside the closet. His siblings had watched with disapproving gazes, their mother having left to a place unknown to recharge her energy supplies. Something she did often. It had been the perfect opportunity to heed the voice's need. His own need to see more.

Sitting in the nest was all well and good, but treasures didn't come to those who hide under a bedding of t-shirts.

His siblings squeaked their warnings, but they were just jealous. Especially when he had returned with the tissue that had provided hours of fun for the three of them. True, the shredded scraps littering the closet den had their mother giving them contemptuous looks, but it had been more than worth it.

Besides, they had been less apprehensive in joining the next expedition he made to 'Ash's Bedroom'.

But the room had lost its appeal of being new. For almost a whole week their mother had stopped trying to confine them to the nest and allowed them free range of the bedroom. A day or two of being permitted to investigate had been fun but after their mother had given them the okay, excitement turned to boredom. Things were just less fun when one was _allowed_ to do them. But where the room had once brought thrill, it now brought something else…

… a new door.

A brand new challenge, a new portal. The humans and their mother were allowed past that door, it was only fair they be able to follow. And it's not that he thought their caretakers and mother were withholding anything from them; in due time they would probably opt to letting them pass through the door. But who knew when that would be. Especially with them still uneasy about letting he and his siblings climb the bed spread.

He glanced back at the two heads of his siblings peaking over the edge of the mattress. They had all been napping up there when he had become bored of napping. He became bored from things very easily and much quicker than the other two. His mother had told him this and he had taken it as a compliment. She'd mentioned something else about sarcasm, but he was still unsure what that meant exactly.

The human his mother called their trainer had left a little while ago, bringing her with him and leaving the bedroom door open just slightly. An ideal time if he wanted to crawl down the comforter without anyone annoyingly pulling him back away from the edge.

Thank goodness for his pin needle nails. It had been slightly more difficult than he thought it would be, and a few times he had understood exactly why the humans and his mother stopped him from doing that exact thing. But he had made it and laughed at them for doubting his abilities.

Okay, so technically he fell the last foot, but that still counted as making it.

He caught the look of his older brother, a doubting but curious look. His sister was shaking her head, convinced he was a lunatic.

So be it. He was a lunatic. But he was going to see the world outside that door before them, so nya.

Ruffling his fur a little, holding his nose high, he stood up on his hind legs. Wobbling a bit, he decided perhaps four legs was a smarter way to go until he mastered walking on two. Crouching back down, he took a deep breath and headed for the crack in the door.

It took almost all his strength to push it open a bit more in order to squeeze his head through. He tumbled out in a summersault once he was able to. Startled only slightly by his stumble, he shook out his fur and looked around the hallway.

Not what he expected, but he couldn't be choosey about new worlds. He lifted his nose, sniffing at the air a bit before crawling along the wall to sniff at the molding as well. Plenty of familiar scents; his trainer and his trainer's mother were plentiful.

Glancing up from his aroma feast he stared at the edge of this world; the stair case. He grinned brightly. Already something new.

Breaking into his fastest run, which looked odd with his ears and paws still too big for his body and flopping about sloppily, he padded towards the carpeted steps. But his excited expression fell as he watched the large form ascend from the stair case.

Putting his front paws out in an attempt to stop himself, instead he slid, the back half of his body still moving forward. He awkwardly tumbled into the sneaker that prevented him from falling down the steps.

"Sprite!"

The little pichu shook his head, clearing his vision before looking up at a surprised Ash staring down at him. Sprite smiled sheepishly, but it faded to an ashamed expression when he saw his mother on the trainer's shoulder.

Instead of getting angry, Pikachu hung her head with a defeated sigh. She crawled down the front of Ash's sweatshirt, hopping down next to her son.

"Piiii-chuuuu!" Sprite whined, arms extended in an attempt to enhance his excuse. Pikachu ignored it though, simply leaning down toward him. Sniffing him a bit, and convinced he was fine, she clutched the scruff of his neck in her jaws, lifting Sprite off the floor.

Sprite folded his paws, glaring at the ground as he was embarrassingly carried back to the bedroom by his mother, dangling from the light hold she had on him. He winced when he heard the giggles from his siblings.

Ash held the door open for Pikachu, smiling at her two other offspring. He had remembered leaving all three napping on top of his bed. But only the youngest, the little girl they had named Ribbon, was still on his comforter.

He wasn't surprised. While her brothers' were slightly more daring, Ash had noticed that Ribbon would wait for them to test the waters of new things first. That way if they got in trouble or hurt, she could learn from their mistakes and avoid it herself. Misty had commented that it was because she was a girl and therefore the smartest.

The orange colored oldest was off the bed, standing on his hind legs and beaming up at Ash. He had made it down the comforter with no problems, but opted to stay inside the room. While the middle pichu, Sprite, was the first to do things, his older brother had a tendency to be the first to do things successfully.

Ash grinned down at the pichu attempting to stretch to its highest length in order to look bigger. This was Pulse, always trying to impress and let it be known that he could follow orders, but wasn't above showing off.

Pulse was slightly bigger than his siblings, just enough so that Pikachu didn't bother to carry him whenever she insisted on herding her litter where she wanted them. Instead Pulse was given a firm look from his mother, which instantly had him darting up the comforter and back onto the bed.

While they had to scale the blanket, using tiny claws to amble their way up, it took Pikachu one bound to make it. She set a pouting Sprite back next to his sister who gave him an 'I told you so' look. He stuck his tongue out at her. She glared and tackled him.

Pikachu sighed; attempting to break them up with a warning 'chu!' but Pulse had made his way up onto the bed finally and was now joining in the scuffle.

She groaned, smacking a paw to her forehead.

Ash laughed, enjoying the spectacle. Pikachu gave him a dirty look for laughing at her expense, but he ignored it and instead ruffled her ears. "Chill Pikachu, they're just playing."

It was a good cop/bad cop routine the two had started and Ash was content to play the role of the officer the three pichu preferred. He plopped down on the bed, sending the kits bouncing a bit. Stunned for only a moment, they recovered from their short flight and quickly scampered over to their trainer to climb all over him.

Ash smirked and sprawled out on his stomach, flipping on his TV and allowing the three of them to use him as a jungle gym. Pikachu had given up trying to demand order and instead curled up next to Ash's head to watch TV with him.

It was nice to relax, but Ash wasn't paying attention to the news station he had turned too, just liking the background noise. He chuckled as he felt Sprite attempting to pull off his cap, not having the strength to do so, but trying anyway.

The last three weeks had flown by for the Pokémon trainer. The litter was growing rapidly and he loved every minute of watching them do so. Only three weeks old and they were so active. They had even started showing signs of vastly different personalities after the first few days of having their eyes open.

After doing some research with his girlfriend and determining the traits of each pichu, Misty had suggested they name them each after different types of lightning patterns. Pulse; strong, concentrated beams. Sprite; erratic and uncontrollable streams. And Ribbon; rare and photogenic bolts that flickered across the sky.

He liked the names and every day they proved to be more and more appropriate, and apparently less embarrassing than the one's he would have chosen left to his own devices. All in all it was a learning experience, but while the pichu were growing like weeds, Ash still felt impatient. His anxiety for them to be born was now replaced with a growing excitement to take them out into the world. He wanted to bring them outside, to meet the rest of his team, over to the professor's lab to show them off, to start training, to bring them on his journey to be a master.

But Brock was adamant that none of that was going to happen until they were at least five or six weeks old. And training would have to wait even longer. Pikachu was apparently on the breeder's side, not even wanting them out of the bedroom let alone outside.

Brock explained their immune system was still vulnerable and susceptible to viruses and bacteria that wouldn't affect older Pokémon. They needed time to build it up. Not to mention waiting till they ate solid food would help as well.

Baby steps. Ash sighed and reached over to pet Pikachu's head. "How about we take them down to the kitchen, girl? Brock said we could try mashed up fruit this week."

Pikachu opened one eye and raised a brow at him. He had to be kidding. She was definitely not thinking that far ahead, barely having the energy to plan out the next five minutes. She'd been pretty lethargic the last few weeks, more so then she had been while pregnant. It was normal. She was feeding and tending to three demanding pichu, plus recovering. She didn't have the patience or energy to deal with Ash's petty pleading to take them downstairs. Didn't he realize that downstairs opened a whole new array of stuff they could get into?

She bopped him on the head with her tail.

Ash scoffed, batting her tail away and pulling Pulse off his shoulder to play fight with him. He rolled the little pichu on his back, letting him gnaw on his fingers. The creature was dwarfed in comparison to the size of his hand, but put up a good match, little excited growls escaping Pulse as he attempted to battle the offending foe.

Ash laughed, letting him win and push his hand off and then attempt to tackle it. "Atta boy! That was a good tackle, Pulse."

Pleased with the praise, the little pichu repeated the action, jumping onto Ash's hand and pulling at his fingerless glove. This brought over Sprite, who did a dive off the brim of Ash's hat to join in the fight. Ribbon was a little more cautious, trying to sneak up on her trainer's left hand instead since that was the one not moving.

Ash smirked and caught her off guard by slightly twitching his fingers. It was enough to spook her, fur fluffing up with a startled 'PI!' before darting to the safety zone behind her mother's tail. Pikachu smiled fondly though, pulling Ribbon closer to her body with her zig-zagged appendage.

She was already content with the fact that her youngest was probably not going to be as interested in battling as her two sons. Though a battler herself, enjoying the rush and thrill of the fight, she knew it wasn't for everyone. While her daughter nuzzled closer, she glanced at her sons with a smirk.

Sprite would be a difficult one to train. The hyperactive pichu would give Ash trouble, that was for sure. Pulse on the other hand seemed more focus. He'd make a strong battler, she was sure.

Pikachu ceased her musings as Ribbon cooed for attention, rubbing her cheek against her mother's. Pikachu purred, instinctively washing the kit's face and eliciting a happy squeak from Ribbon. Whatever her children really decided to do, she'd be okay with. But for the moment she would enjoy their young antics and the fact that they preferred to stay close to her.

Allowing Ribbon to play with one of her long ears, Pikachu rested her chin on her paw to watch Ash interact with the other two pichu kits. She adored her trainer. Her best friend without a doubt. But he could be very impatient.

Ash laughed as Pulse attempted to head butt his arm. He scooped the kit up, bringing it up to his face and smiling widely as Pulse nuzzled against his cheek.

Pikachu sighed and smiled. Impatient or not… she was extremely pleased with his closeness to her litter. She wouldn't want it any other way, really.

Not that she doubted he would take to them as he took to her. If it was a Pokémon, Ash was pretty much instantly in love. She watched him roll over onto his back, Sprite and Pulse crawling across his chest and chasing his hands, trying to get him to pet them.

Ash tilted his head back, grinning at Pikachu upside down. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled back.

_Goof._

"C'mon," he pestered, still grinning.

She sighed. "Pika-chu…"

He attempted a puppy dog look, but being upside down, the effect was not only pathetic, but also comical. Pikachu snickered, Ribbon poking her head over her mother's tail to see what made her do so. A short scamper around the lightning bolt tail had her following her brothers, attempting to shove them out of the way so their trainer would pet her as well.

Pikachu slowly rose off the comforter, stretching her front paws out and arching her back. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take them downstairs. They were, after all, just as anxious as her human companion. Perhaps it would win her points as the 'good cop'.

But JUST to the kitchen. Ash could whine and complain all he wanted to, but they weren't going any farther than that.

_To be continued..._


	8. Down Pour

**A/N:** Look who's still alive! *SHOT* And with an extra long chapter for you guys. Apologies for making you wait so long. School and work come before fanficiton though ^^ but trust me, the story is still alive and well. I'm just getting to the good parts! I have not yet begun to torture poor Ash and Pikachu! (I only do it because I love them ;3 I promise)

Goodness so many nice reviews! Thank you all, you're very kind ^^

* * *

_Chapter 7: Down Pour_

---

"Six weeks, sir."

His gaze wandered up to the ceiling fan of his office. Rolling his shoulders as if to wake himself up, he repositioned himself in his chair. "And the mother?"

Agent 62 shifted his weight to his left foot, arms still folded behind his back as he stood respectfully at attention. "Assumed to be fully recovered. She was battling yesterday."

He raised an eyebrow in interest. "The outcome?"

"Victorious. Against a young lucario."

He grinned and looked down from the fan. He folded his hands neatly in his lap. "She never ceases to amaze me," he chuckled, "Only proving again and again that I have exceptional taste." Wide grin still present on his face, he set his hands on his desk, palms flat against the polished oak finish. "Arrange for my transportation. Make reservations, spare nothing. I'll need my best suit pressed of course."

The agent nodded as his boss rose from his seat, brushing down the front of his dress coat. Italian leather shoes padded softly on the carpet as he rounded his desk. "Have my secretary go out and buy something ridiculously expensive and shiny, but not gaudy. I trust her opinion."

He waved this nonchalantly at his agent who remained still and at attention as he passed him. His eyes landed on the persian lounging comfortably on a large plush pillow in the corner of the room. "Oh… and make sure Vittoria has a bath."

At the sound of the accursed word, the feline Pokémon lifted her head in alarm. Almost immediately she bolted from the room, tail between her legs.

He smirked when he saw his agent's shoulders sag at the thought of having to chase down the large cat. He patted his employee's back as he passed him.

"Not to worry, Richard. You've been impressing me as of late. If all this goes to my liking expect a significant change in your position."

Rich's eyes widened, only slightly though as if to try and hide his true excitement about the prospect of a promotion. He turned his head to watch his superior exit the room before allowing himself a satisfied grin.

***

Her little body was practically vibrating with excitement, but she did her best to contain it to a slight tremble. Her furiously wagging tail gave her away though.

She just wanted it on. She wanted to see it, see how it looked, to admire it against the black mantel of fur around her neck and shoulders. She bet it looked perfect. She'd nearly imploded with joy when the water trainer had presented it to her, pulling it out of the little shopping bag and holding it out for her to see, to touch.

"Hold still Ribbon," Misty giggled, attempting to tie the little sash around the pichu's neck. Ribbon's excited trembling was making the soothe bell laced through the sash jingle.

"You would…"

Misty glanced up at her boyfriend standing in the doorway of the kitchen and leaning against the frame. She smirked at him, finishing her bow and allowing Ribbon to scamper over to her purse and fish out the little green compact she knew was inside. With minor difficultly, the pichu opened the hand held mirror almost as big as her, holding it out to get a better look at her reflection. She'd seen the human girl use it many times before and was fascinated with the contents of Misty's purse.

Ribbon's eyes sparkled at the sight of the sash, color matching her powder pink cheeks and the golden bell standing out nicely from her black fur.

Ash rolled his eyes. "What have you done to her?"

Misty scoffed. "Indulged her need to accessorize. Think of it as a name tag."

Ash raised his eyebrow with a sarcastic smirk. "How witty."

"You're the one that let me name her; it was inevitable from that very moment."

Ribbon was hearing none of it, too enthralled with how she looked wearing the new gift from her trainer's mate. She'd become very fond with the red headed human, often following her around the house and interested in whatever she was doing.

Misty didn't mind in the least and encouraged it. Her azurill had been spending a lot of time over at Professor Oak's lab. She was okay with it; she wanted the little Pokémon to spend time with Tracy's Marill, Azurill's mother. She was so pleased to find Marill still interested in her child, many Pokémon seemingly forgetting they had ever given birth before.

But with Azurill absent for the time, Misty's urge to have something to cuddle and care for needed to be attended to. Ribbon was more than happy to fill the position, taking up the free space that now resided in Misty's cradled arms.

Ribbon's ears perked at the sound of padded paws on the kitchen floor. Looking over the side of the table she waved frantically at her mother. Her brothers were following behind Pikachu at a slower pace, their attempts at tackling one another the reason being.

_"Mama! Look! Look-it!"_

Pikachu smiled up at her daughter puffing her chest out to show off the soothe bell. She nodded in approval, happy simply because Ribbon seemed to be pleased. _"I see! How beautiful. Did Misty give you that?"_

Not that Pikachu needed the answer, she knew very well out of any of their human companions; Misty would be the one to get her child such a gift. Many times the girl had attempted to dress her up, but Pikachu was not one for bows and ribbons or silly useless articles of clothing tailored to her size. They merely got in the way during battles.

Ash certainly wouldn't waste time buying accessories. She was sure of that.

Pikachu hopped up to one of the chairs, front paws up on the edge of the table as she leaned forward to sniff at her daughter's new fashion statement.

_"How come she gets stuff?"_

_"Yeah!"_

Pikachu smirked down at the brothers, Pulse and Sprite both adorning annoyed, pouting looks. Shrugging good-naturedly, she nodded at their concern. _"Okay boys, if you want soothe bells too, I'm sure we can get -"  
_

Loud protests of 'EW!' and 'NO WAY!' stopped Pikachu from continuing, chuckling at their reactions. Just as she expected.

Ribbon stuck her tongue out at her brothers as they switched from complaining about their own lack of presents and instead started to make fun of hers. _"It is NOT stupid! I'm gonna look pretty when we meet the team!"_

Sprite scoffed as he attempted to leap up onto the chair like his mother had done. _"The team doesn't care about pretty." _He landed with a soft thud back on the kitchen tile, still not having the height to reach the chair.

Pulse though, managed to leap high enough to clasp his little claws into the seat's edge, pulling himself up the rest of the way. _"Yeah, pretty doesn't help you in battles…"_

A mixture of hurt and annoyance played across Ribbon's face and she looked to her mother for reassurance. Pikachu was quick to supply, nuzzling her daughter comfortingly. _"If the two of you don't behave, it'll be another week till you meet anyone…"_

A loud round of whining 'piiiichuuu!' rang through the kitchen and Misty giggled at the small family of Pokémon before her. It was interesting to watch them interact with each other. Of course she had no idea what they were saying truly, but some things didn't need complete translation.

Ash had apparently picked up on the warning tone in the mother Pokémon's voice. He folded his arms. "No. No! You'd better not be threatening what I think you're threatening."

Pikachu tilted her head at him, but kept a wry smile on her maw.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Mr. Impatient…"

"I've been waiting weeks for this," Ash stated mater-of-factly. "Nothing's going to ruin today… and stop dressing up my little champion," he sneered, gingerly plucking Ribbon off the table. The little pichu could still fit snuggly between his two palms.

"Pichu!" Ribbon squeaked excitedly, paws outstretched in an attempt to hug Ash's face.

Ash cuddled her against his cheek affectionately. "That's right, girl. You tell her you dun wanna be prissy and sissy and all that stuff, huh? My little killer!" he cooed.

Misty snorted, shaking her head. "Killer? Please… admit it Ash."

"Admit what?" he sniffed, ignoring her eyes and giving all his attention to the pichu kit batting at his long bangs.

"Ribbon's not a battler."

Ash rolled his eyes. "What gives you that idea?"

Misty raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend, slowly looking over to Ribbon who was currently washing Ash's cheek with her tiny pink tongue, purring through the entire process. She looked back at Ash. "… You're kidding, right?"

Ash glared. "What? Cause you put on a bow and girl-ified her a bit you think she's not gonna fight?"

"No, I think because she runs in terror at the sound of the toaster she's not going to fight."

"It surprised her!"

"She won't go near bread, Ash…"

"Everyone's afraid of something!"

Misty sighed, deciding the battle was not worth fighting. Mostly because he'd have to admit it sooner or later. She just hoped it was before he embarrassed himself with the phrase "Ribbon, I choose you!"

"Pichu-Pi! Pichu-Pi!"

Ash looked down at Ribbon's brothers circling his ankles and tugging at his pant legs, obviously wanting attention as well. He smiled and leaned down to scoop up Pulse and Sprite, tucking them against his body as they clung to the fabric of his baseball-t.

"Alright you three! Time to meet the Family!" he announced, throwing his fist up dramatically and pointing to the back door.

The three kits responded by pumping their fists in imitation of their trainer, just as excited and anxious as he was. Feeding off his energy, they leaned over his arm in anticipation as Ash headed towards the door.

Pikachu glanced up at Misty who smiled down at her. "He's nothing if not enthusiastic, huh?"

"Pika-chu."

Misty leaned down, offering her shoulder to the creature who promptly leapt up, perching herself on the yellow short-sleeved hooded sweatshirt. The two followed Ash as he pushed open the door, proudly stepping out onto the back porch and marching down the steps.

Sneakers touching down on the grass, Ash gently set the three pichu down at his feet. Sprite's nose was in the dew laced blades immediately, sniffing at the soil in a flurry of movement. So many new smells.

Pulse's nose was to the sky, stretching out on his hind legs and surveying everything before him. So many new sights.

Ribbon's heart was thundering in her chest and she was immediately backing up onto Ash's sneakers, needing some sense of cover, of protection. So many new DANGERS.

"Piii-KA-chuuu!"

Ribbon turned a trembling gaze towards the sound of her mother. She looked calm and content atop Misty's shoulder. It was slightly reassuring. But only slightly.

_"It's okay, we're all here,"_ Pikachu soothed, crawling down Misty's arm and leaping off her elbow. Landing with ease on the soft ground bellow, she trotted over to her offspring.

She could see it in Sprite's eyes; he just wanted to run. Pulse's muscles were tight and poised, obviously keeping himself from bolting as well. They wanted nothing more than to explore. Sprite attempted to ask permission, buttering up to his mother as he rubbed the length of his body against her side with a pleading purr.

Pikachu smiled. She knew the urge well and nodded to her sons, but not without warning. _"You see those flowers? Don't go beyond that garden, I mean it,"_ she chirped.

That was all they needed, the two brother pichu were off like a shot, sniffing and rolling around in the designated area their mother had allowed them to. She smiled proudly at their vivacity, but her ears perked at sudden movement beneath her.

Ribbon was nudging herself under her mother's front paw, small black tail tucked between her legs. The jingle of her soothe bell accompanied her whimpering.

Having had a feeling that this would be the outcome, Pikachu sighed in understanding. She stood up on her hind legs and hoisted her daughter up into her arms, propping her against her shoulder where Ribbon promptly clung.

_"It's big…"_

_"It's the outdoors, honey."_

_"It's too big."_

Pikachu chuckled, rubbing her child's back. _"I can't make it smaller, if that's what you want."_

"_Big…"_

Her mother sighed and simply held her tight. She looked up at her human friends, Misty giving her a sympathetic look. But Ash was oblivious as always, stepping back a few feet and whistling for Pulse and Sprite. They raised they heads from their exploring and scampered back to him.

Once they were at his sneakers, Ash smirked, unclipping the pokeballs from his belt. "Alright you three… say hi to the guys!"

With a strong under handed toss, five pokeballs flew up into the air, bright light bursting from within them as they popped open. The light morphed around the small clearing, reflecting in the eyes of Pulse and Sprite who watched with awe struck expressions. Ribbon cautiously looked up from her mother's shoulder.

Five figures emerged from the bolts of light that sprang free from the pokeballs. Bayleaf shook her body free from the stiffness that came with resting for so long. Staraptor followed suit by extending her massive wingspan.

Sprite stared up at the two of them, eyes wide and slowly looking up as Bayleaf approached him. The little pichu stumbled backward, having leaned back too far while observing the grass type's height. Staraptor was quick to extend the tip of her wing, catching Sprite before he could hit the ground. The two older Pokémon smiled at each other with an amused giggled.

Pulse gaped, jaw dropped as Rampardos threw back his massive head with a wide yawn, and Monferno arched his back in a cat stretch. The two leaned down towards the pichu, Rampardos releasing a powerful snort that nearly knocked Pulse off his paws. But the pichu merely grinned in response, leaping up onto the rock type's long snout and holding onto the short horn for support. Rampardos chuckled, lifting Pulse up to Monferno's eye level where the fire primate could greet him as well.

Pleased with how social her son's were being, Pikachu shifted her daughter to her other hip, making her way towards the group in hopes Ribbon's shyness would wear off. But the kit's face was firmly buried in her mother's shoulder, having shielded her vision when the enormous Pokémon had taken shape before them.

"_This is your family, Ribbon_," Pikachu reassured, "_you don't have to be afraid of any of them_." With that she gently pulled her daughter off her shoulder.

Ribbon's arm outstretched desperately towards Pikachu, refusing to be put down, but was given no choice. Once her paws were on the ground though, she clung to her mother's side instantly.

"_She's a little shy_." Ribbon heard her mother's voice directed towards someone else, Pikachu's paws on her shoulders. Very carefully she turned Ribbon around to face the new presence, coaxing her forward.

The pichu kit forced her eyes open, gaze set directly on a large pair of orange paws in front of her. Trailing up, Ribbon found the paws attached to a wide grin and a pair of dashing blue eyes.

_"Shy? That's a surprise given her mother…"_ Floatzel folded his arms across his chest with a smirk. Pikachu returned the look.  
_  
"Ribbon, this is Floatzel."_ The tiny pichu blinked twice, finally breaking her stare from the water Pokémon towering over her. Everything about the weasel screamed confidence. His strong stance, his suave gaze, simply the way he carried himself. She didn't doubt he was a powerful battler.

It was slightly daunting to someone such as herself, but Ribbon was enthralled. If she could be like that… that toaster would have to watch out.

Ash beamed excitedly as he watched the introductions take place. Everyone seemed to be getting along perfectly, exactly how he wanted it to be. It was a positive sign for when he'd bring the triplets to the Professor's later. The trainer couldn't help but grin when he watched the oldest of the pichu attempt to headbutt his Rampardos.

"Show 'em what you got, Pulse!" Ash called out, encouraging the kit's enthusiasm. Rampardos looked towards his trainer before crouching, lowering his massive head down to the pichu.

Pulse blinked a few times, lost at the command before it slowly sunk in. He smiled as wide as he could, nearly shaking with excitement. A chance to prove his skill! Quickly composing himself, Pulse backed up a few paces.

"Ash…" Misty shook her head, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"He's got this. He took down a marshmallow yesterday."

Misty raised an eyebrow at him. "A marshmallow? We're you training or making s'mores?"

"Two birds, Mist," Ash grinned, "one stone!"

Pulse crouched low, tail in the air as he stared down his opponent. He could hear his mother shout from a few yards away, _"Widen your stance, Pulse!"_ He complied, correcting his footing and taking a deep breath.

With all he had Pulse released a spark large enough to rival a power surge that might shut off a hair dryer, the bolt directed towards Rampardos' horn. His attack hit its target dead on, but as a rock type, Rampardos felt nothing more than a slight twitch. Being a good sport though, the older Pokémon feigned a grimace.

Pulse reeled from the attack, having shocked himself slightly in the process, his vision was swimming. But he could still hear the small applause from the team members around him. He smiled through his dizziness, trying to puff out his chest, only to stumble over, eliciting giggles from the group.

Seeing the attention his brother was receiving, Sprite quickly ran over to Ash, circling him once before stopping to stand next to his sneaker. The trainer smirked down at the anxious looking kit. "You wanna go, Sprite?"

"Pi-CHU!" the kit responded, paws in the air.

Ash chuckled, "Alright Bayleaf! You've got a challenger!"

Bayleaf smiled and swung her long neck down, giving the kit a 'come and get it' look.

"Sprite, use headbutt!"

Kicking up some dust, Sprite launched himself forward at the much larger Pokémon. Panting slightly as he picked up speed, the pichu shut his eyes tight and lowered his head. With a soft SMACK Sprite collided with the side of Bayleaf's head, not even nudging the dinosaur, instead knocking himself back into a somersault.

Having failed to brace himself, Sprite rolled to a dizzy stop, the world around him spinning. The woozy feeling only increased when his mother gently scooped him off the ground, cradling her son in her arms.

_"Did I win, Mama?" _He clutched her shoulder in an attempt to balance himself.

Pikachu giggled, petting his ears back. _"You sure did honey…"_

Ribbon, standing next to Monferno and watching the display, jumped slightly at a voice directed towards her.

_"What about you, little lady, want a turn?"_ the primate asked, leaning down into a battle position.

Taken off guard by the offer, Ribbon's eyes widened in fear. Her paws quickly covered her mouth as she started to tremble, holding in frightened squeak. She looked up at the tall monkey, her eyes following the flamed tail swishing back and forth. Her?! Battle HIM?!

Her reaction was not at all close to what her brothers' had been.

She was frozen in fear for a moment, not sure how to respond. What was expected of her?! Ribbon glanced over her shoulder, finding all eyes on her. Her mother was beaming, her brothers both with encouraging smiles.

Her eyes looked to her trainer. Ash clenched his fist with a tight smirk, ready to give her a command.

The pressure made her fur puff out slightly.

Seeing her discomfort, Monferno took a step towards her, concern written all over his features. But his advance spooked the kit into a mad dash for the garden, hoping the tall flowers would make for an efficient cover.

Monferno winced with guilt, Staraptor giving him a bit of a scowl. _"What?! I didn't think-"_

The bird smacked the back of his head with her wing. _"That's no surprise. You never think…"_

Pikachu sighed and set a less dazed Sprite down next to his brother. _"It's okay, she's just overwhelmed," _she assured them, darting between the two Pokémon and in the direction of the garden. She knew her daughter and Ribbon didn't do well in high stress situations.

Ribbon was panting heavily as she stopped behind the thick stem of a sunflower, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart. She hugged herself, whimpering. What was the matter with her? Her brothers had fought. They'd listened to orders.

She must have looked so stupid in front of the others. The team surely hated her. But she couldn't help that she didn't want to battle. It was all her brothers seemed to think about, what their mother did for a living, but she didn't find it fun at all.

Her large brown eyes started to fill at the thought of her family not wanting anything to do with her. Her first day meeting all of them and already she proved to be a screw up. What use would she be to her trainer if she was afraid of fighting? Ash only kept battle Pokémon.

Distraught with her thoughts, Ribbon failed to notice the low rattling behind her. It wasn't until the rattle was practically right beside her that the pichu lifted her head.

Depression quickly forgotten and fear replacing it immediately, Ribbon stared back her her reflection in the shimmering gold eyes of an ekans.

The Pokémon was small in comparison to most like it, but Ribbon being only slightly larger than a pomegranate, the poison Pokémon was massive. A six week old pichu would make a more than fitting lunch.

Ribbon attempted to take a step back, but was cut off as the snake darted around to cover her escape. Frightened sparks danced across her cheeks, sending a hot pain through her face. She couldn't handle her own electricity, but her fear kept the charge building.

Seeing the pichu confused and scared, the ekans reared back, poised in an S curve with slitted eyes directly on the terrified kit. It hissed its species name, inch long fangs revealed in the process.

She couldn't move, dread gripped her small body and refused to let go. Never - not even in the case of the toaster - had she ever seen something so horrifying. And unlike the kitchen appliance, this one was definitely worth being afraid of.

"PICHU!" Ribbon squeaked, covering her head with her paws, curling herself into a shivering ball of cream colored fur. It was all she could find herself able to do. She was getting dizzy from the electricity sparking off her little body, the bolts doing much more damage to her than her foe.

The ekans rushed forward in a strike, fangs targeting the soft flesh of the back of the kit's exposed neck. No hassle, no fight. Exactly the kind of prey the Pokémon had been hoping for. But a flash of electric yellow threw off the snake's focus.

Blinded by the movement, it attacked the ground just to the side of the defenseless pichu. Spitting out a mouthful of garden soil and shaking off its failure, the ekans hissed its displeasure. It turned towards its elusive snack only to find an angry Pikachu glaring it down, Ribbon dangling from her jaws firmly clenched around her kit's scruff.

Ribbon, paws covering her eyes, slowly lowered them as her mother gently set her back down on the ground. Pikachu stepped protectively over her daughter, her own fangs bared at the snake. Her long ears pressed flat against the back of her head, she arched her back in a warning hiss.

An older Pokémon would have picked its battles a bit more wisely, taken the time to note its opponent's level and power. But the hungry ekans moved to strike at Pikachu, more determined to make a kill than size up its opponent.

Pikachu was past allowing this kind of behavior. She'd spent weeks dreading the idea of bringing her new young out into the world for exactly this kind of reason, and no garden hose with teeth was going to prove her fear was justified.

Pikachu dug her claws into the soil, gathering the static from the ground. With a powerful battle cry she sent her attack at the creature foolish enough to strike at her kit.

The ekans immediately regretted its decision, ten thousand volts streaming through its slim body, bursting blood vessels and fraying nerve endings.

She knew the Pokémon was young and inexperienced. And in any other case she would have been kinder… maybe a bit more understanding. But attempting to make a snack out of her daughter was, unfortunately for the ekans, an unforgivable act. Pikachu merely glared viciously down at its twitching form, her chest heaving from angry huffs.

Ribbon watched through wide watery eyes, peeking out from behind her mother's paw. Tears coursed through her fur and down the powder pink colored electrical pouches on her cheeks as she watched the poison type wither in pain before her.

Steam rose off its charred body, more than likely paralyzed, and quite possibly beyond help. It was young… maybe only a few weeks older than herself. The seizing animal took a few more staggered breaths.

Death was a completely unknown topic to the small pichu. Ribbon's mind couldn't comprehend why the ekans had stopped attacking. Had stopped moving.

Numb to anything except the sight of the charred Pokémon before her, Ribbon barely felt her mother's comforting tongue run across her ears. It wasn't until Pikachu lifted her up again that the pichu melted out of her shock and quickly broke down into uncontrollable shivering.

Spurred by the bolts springing up from his mother's garden, Ash hurried over as Pikachu emerged through the flowers, setting her frightened kit on the ground between her forepaws. Ash kneeled down to scoop Ribbon's tiny shivering form into his hands. Misty was right behind him, Pulse and Sprite in her arms.

"Is she okay? What happ—EEE!!!"

Misty stumbled back, clutching the kits closer to her when she noticed the shriveled ekans in the center of the garden, curled in on itself and unmoving. The other five Pokémon slowly made their way over, concerned and curious.

Ash frowned as he held Ribbon against his chest, letting the little pichu cling to his shirt. He watched as Pikachu, front paws braced on his knee, cooed softly to her kit. He could feel his partner's paws vibrating against his leg, still coming down from her recent discharge of energy. But it was more than just the thunderbolt that had Pikachu trembling.

Piecing the puzzle together, Ash sighed, guilt washing over him. Rarely had he seen such violence from his usually calm little buddy. But she had her limits and he knew them well. The fact that she was pushed to them just then made his stomach ache.

He'd been pestering to take the kits out for weeks now, giving no thought to how dangerous something as simple as his mother's garden could be to them. Maybe he had moved too fast, something he was often chastised for by his friends.

He held Ribbon back out to her mother who promptly, sniffed her entire little body, grooming the kit's face almost obsessively. She looked up to Ash, ears still folded back. He nodded, silent words passed between the two of them before Pikachu took the kit in her teeth.

She gave her trainer a look that said she would handle it before she turned and trotted to the back porch.

Easily bounding up the wooden steps, Pikachu waited patiently as the screen door opened enough to allow her access to the house. She exchanged a quick look with the human woman holding the door for her; two mothers sharing a knowing glance, before Pikachu slipped past her ankles. Delia had been watching from the back door and craned her neck to watch her son a moment.

She sighed and moved back into the house, shuffling to the dishes soaking in the sink. But not being able to help herself, Delia walked past them, cautiously poking her head into the living room and craning to look over the side of the couch. She knew that look the yellow Pokémon had given her all too well. Fear that something could have happened to someone so precious to her and now she needed to take a breather before the heart attack set it. Delia leaned against the door frame, eyes on the pair across the room.

Sitting on the window seat bathed in sunlight, Pikachu was curled around Ribbon, the kit's face buried into her side. Ribbon's tiny upset mews were muffled by her mother's fur, but still audible in the quiet room.

Pikachu released a cleansing sigh and pushed herself up into a sit. Calm enough now that she wasn't shaking from a mixture of rage and fear, she scooped her daughter up into a tight hug. Despite her still rapidly beating heart though, she found an encouraging smile. _"It's alright, baby…"_

_"No it's not," _Ribbon sniffled into her mother's shoulder. _"I can't fight."_

Pikachu chuckled lightly, rubbing her daughter's back. Nearly eaten and her daughter had only taken away that she'd chickened out on a mock battle. _"Ribbon, trust me, it's much too early to come to that conclusion."_

Ribbon pulled back to look at her mother, sniffing and pawing at her tear filled eyes. _"Huh?"_

Pikachu smiled, brushing the kit's ears back. _"There's no rush. You haven't even started training… and sweetie, not everyone battles."_

_"Really?"_ Ribbon tilted her head as Pikachu used the back of her paw to wipe the rest of the tears from her face. _"But don't we all battle? Cause Ash-"_

Pikachu stopped her daughter, touching the tip of her nose to Ribbon's. _"We're a team, a family. Fighter or not, we love you. Ash especially,"_ she smiled. _"He's not going to love you any less because you don't want to compete. I promise." _

Feeling a little better, Ribbon smiled. _"I don't gotta battle?"_

_"You don't have to do anything you don't want to,"_ with a small sigh, Pikachu pulled Ribbon tight against her chest. _"But don't you ever run off like that again. You know I don't like it when I can't see where you three are."_

_"I'm sorry Mama…"_ Ribbon sniffled, tearing up again at thought of the close call. She clung to Pikachu's shoulder tightly. _"You weren't a-scared of the monster though," _she sniffed, _"and it was big…"_

Pikachu smiled, but tightened her hold on her daughter a bit more, speaking in a soft whisper. _"It wasn't the 'monster' that scared me, sweetie…"_

Not completely understanding her mother's words, Ribbon whispered back. _"You're not afraid of anything, are you Mama?"_

Pikachu closed her eyes, a small sad smile on her maw. _"More than you think, Ribbon…"_

Resting her cheek on her mother's shoulder, Ribbon allowed herself to calm down, allowing Pikachu to bask in the warm feeling of holding her kit. Never had something elicited this kind of feeling in her. She had those she cared about, her trainer no doubt. Being held by Ash often made her feel a similar warmth, but this was something else.

She'd felt traces of it while she had still carried them inside her. But now… she was certain there was just nothing that could compare to holding her kits.

_"Did you win that battle, Mama? Against the monster?"_

The warm feeling froze over and Pikachu's eyes slowly opened. The image of the withering ekans in the garden slipping back to her. The fact that she'd taken a life just moments ago suddenly registered in her mind.

The fact that she'd do it again in a heartbeat was her next thought.

It hadn't been the first time she'd done it either. There'd been times wild Pokémon had threatened her… her team members… her trainer…

She'd ended life then too and again, she hadn't regretted doing so. She didn't consider herself a blood thirsty creature, far from it. She didn't condone that kind of behavior and frowned upon it. But there were lines that had potential to be crossed. She'd given them warning. Self defense was not murder.

And any being, Pokémon or human, who dared to cross the ones so close to her would find out just how powerful she was. And deep down, she was proud of that fact. That she was physically able to protect the ones she loved.

But that wasn't always enough to keep the guilt at bay. She'd had good reason to act in the manner she did. It was natural selection, it was them or her and she'd be damned if it'd ever be her. But while she had rationalized all of this in her brain time and time again, the fact that her daughter had just witnessed it didn't sit well with her.

This wasn't the age she wanted to teach her children that kind of nature. This was a time for lessons about why the sky was blue and the grass green. Which berries were acceptable and which were better off left alone.

Not about what had happened to the ekans that still lay in the Ketchum's garden.

_"Yes honey..."_ Pikachu forced a smile, _"Mama won that battle."_

***

Ash collapsed into the couch, hand feeling around the cushions for the TV remote. After the day he had had, the trainer wanted nothing more than to relax and lose himself in mindless television. Hoping to find a league battle match he flipped through the channels.

Misty sat in the plush lounge chair across from the couch, Ribbon in her lap enjoying the fine bristles of the red head's brush running smoothly through her fur. The little kit looked exhausted and close to sleep while her brothers chased each other around the living room furniture. They were still burning off energy from the afternoon, their first taste of battling having given them an extra boost no one thought was possible. There were already a few new scorch marks on the rug that Ash knew would need replacing.

"Pi-KA-chu…"

The trainer glanced in the direction of the electric mouse, looking just as tired and worn as he felt. She ambled in from the kitchen, barking an order at her sons in response to their rowdy play that almost tipped over a floor lamp. Pulse and Sprite quickly slowed their mad sprinting to a light jog, but who knew how long it would last.

"C'mere buddy," Ash beckoned, patting the couch cushion. Pikachu complied, leaping up beside him and promptly running the length of her body under his chin in a request for cuddles. Ash was more than happy to supply, enveloping her in his arms. He sighed and rolled onto his back, letting her rest on her side on his chest while he pet her.

The day hadn't exactly turned out how he had planned. After the close call in the garden, Ash had fallen into his normal doubting funk. Despite the fact that Pulse and Sprite had seemingly adapted well to not only the back yard and the team members, Ribbon's brush with disaster left him feeling unsuccessful. Burying the burnt ekans by the tree line before his mother could see it had not exactly made the experience any better.

He felt slightly better when he saw that all Ribbon really needed was a nap with her mother to set things right. She was her adorable clingy self by dinner, playing with his shoelaces while he ate.

He'd talked with his mother and girlfriend about it over the meal. Surprisingly they didn't seem too phased, more concerned with him forever blaming himself. It wasn't as if he had asked for it to happen, and other then herding her brood a little closer to her for the rest of the night, his Pikachu seemed fine.

He hated that his emotions always lingered longer than anyone else's, that he had a natural urge to blame himself for everything. If the sky was falling, he'd be the first one to confess that it could possibly be his fault.

But needless to say, his plan to bring the pichu over to the professor's had changed to making sure his team was alright and that Ribbon wasn't dramatically traumatized for life. Turned out the little kit forgot things easily if offered a few of the sugar cubes in the jar on the kitchen table.

Ash smiled a little, allowing himself to relax when he felt the rhythmic purring of his Pokémon as she stretched out to her full length across his chest. Her lightning bolt tail padded softly up and down as he scratched behind her ears.

He was, as always, overreacting. Everything was fine. No one was hurt, they were all safe and happy and full from dinner.

What did he have to be fretting over?

Ash turned his head towards the TV, tucking an arm behind his head and losing himself in the league announcer's voice and Pikachu's purring.

During a particularly interesting match, Ash felt Pikachu turn over onto her stomach, ears and head up. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, stopping his mechanical strokes across her striped back. She was staring at the front door, ears twitching and muscles taught.

Ash looked back towards the TV. It was probably Brock coming up the front walk. The breeder had been gone all day, visiting other acquaintances he knew in Pallet.

But instead of settling back down, Pikachu rose to her feet, standing on his stomach as her eyes wildly searched the room for her kits. A sharp 'chu!' had Pulse and Sprite stop in their tracks and Ribbon lift her head off Misty's knee.

Pikachu leapt off Ash, landing next to her boys and nudging them in the direction of the couch. The brothers complied, darting under the couch skirt as their mother rushed over to fetch her daughter meeting Ribbon half way as the kit attempted to slide off Misty's lap.

Plucking the pichu away from the water trainer, Pikachu dashed under the couch after her sons, the fabric billowing slightly in her wake. The action had Ash sitting up on his elbows, shooting a confused look to Misty who returned it.

"What's she doing?"

"I don't-"

Before Ash could finish his thought, three knocks on the front door broke the serene peace in the room. The sound made Misty jump slightly.

For a few moments the two trainers just stared at the door. Another two knocks brought them out of their trance though and Ash swung his legs off the side of the couch.

"You couldn't have gotten that, Ash?" Delia said with a patronizing smirk as she walked in from the hallway. Leave it to teenage boys to completely ignore the fact that the door was knocking.

But as Delia moved for the doorknob, Pikachu shot out from under the couch, lightning fast agility putting her between the woman and the door.

"PIKA!"

Delia took a step back as the Pokémon pushed against her shins. "Ash, what's gotten into her?"

"I dunno, she got really weird all of a sudden." Getting up from the couch and heading to the front door, Ash raised an eyebrow at the mouse.

Turning away from Delia, Pikachu's eyes widened in alarm as Ash's gloved hand wrapped around the doorknob. Her senses were running wild, screaming for her to put a stop to this. She quickly latched onto her trainer's pant cuff, pulling with all she had.

Ash smirked down at her attempts as he pulled the door open. "What's wrong Pikachu? Do you know who's at the—"

Brown eyes met brown eyes, one pair match up with a devilish smirk.

He couldn't find his voice, could barely hear anything except the sound of his heart pounding in his throat and still climbing. His fingers tightened around the doorknob, palm sweating and dampening his glove.

The only thing that had registered was that Pikachu had stopped tugging at his leg. Instead he heard her viciously hiss; standing between his ankles, hackles raised and sparks dancing around her front paws. Her glare was directed towards the persian sitting elegantly in front of her, red eyes simply daring her to try.

The guest cleared his throat smoothly, smirk still present. "Well Ash… Aren't you going to invite your father in?"

_To be continued..._


End file.
